JOSHUA. 


A    BIBLICAL    PICTURE. 


BY  GEOEGE  EBERS. 


AND 


THE  BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE. 


A  ROMANCE. 


BY  GEORGE   EBERS. 


-♦♦*- 


NEW  YORK: 

JOHN  W.   LOVELL    COMPANY, 

L43  to  150  Worth  Street. 


DEDICATED    TO    THE    MEMORY 
OF 

GUSTAV  BAUR. 


G. 


I 


PREFACE. 


When  in  the  course  of  last  winter  I  made  up  my  mind  to 
finish  this  book  and  occupied  myself  in  giving  it  the  form 
in  which  it  is  now  offered  to  the  public,  I  constantly  bore 
in  mind  the  dear  friend  to  whom  I  always  intended  to 
dedicate  it.  Now,  it  is  my  sad  privilege  to  inscribe  it  only 
to  the  Manes  of  Gustav  Baur,  for  death  snatched  him  away 
only  a  few  months  since. 

Every  one  who  had  ever  come  into  close  communion  with 
him  felt  his  death  as  an  unspeakably  bitter  loss,  not  only 
because  his  bright  and  cheerful  nature  and  happy  wit 
brought  light  to  the  soul  of  his  friends ;  not  only  because 
he  was  ready  from  the  brimming  stores  of  his  abundant 
knowledge  to  give  freely  to  all  who  came  into  intellectual 
contact  with  him  ;  but,  above  all,  because  the  warm  heart 
which  beamed  through  his  eyes,  made  him  feel  the  joy  and 
sorrow  of  others  as  his  own,  and  throw  himself  into  their 
thoughts  and  feelings.  Till  my  latest  day  I  can  never 
forget  how,  in  these  latter  years,  infirm  in  body  and  over- 
whelmed with  the  work  of  a  professor  and  a  member  of  the 
Consistory,  he  would  still  constantly  find  his  way  to  see 
me,  his  yet  more  crippled  friend.  The  hours  it  was  then 
my  good  fortune  to  spend  in  eager  conversation  with  him, 
were  such  as  we  "  write  down  good,"  to  quote  old  Horace, 
whom  he  knew  and  loved  so  well.  I  have  done  so  ;  as  I 
gratefully  recall  them  my  friend's  voice  sounds  in  my  ear 
asking :  "And  what  about  the  tale  of  the  Exodus  ?" 
When  I  first  told  him  that  it  was  in  the  midst  of  the  desert, 
while  following  up  the  traces  of  the  fugitive  Hebrews,  that 
the  idea  had  occurred  to  me  of  treating  their  wanderings 
in  a  work  of  imagination,  he  expressed  his  approval  with  the 
captivating  eagerness  which  was  characteristic  of  the  man. 
When,  then,  I  developed  the  idea  which  I  had  first  sketched 
riding  on  a  camel,  he  never  was  weary  of  encouraging  me, 
although  he  quite  understood  my  hesitation  and  fully  re- 
cognized the  difficulties  which  surrounded  the  execution  of 
my  task. 

This  book,  then,  in  a  certain  sense,  is  his,  and  the  fact 
that   it   can  no  longer  be  offered  to  him  living,  can  never 

Si791^04 


ii  PREF.  1  <  7\ 

be  the  subject  of  his  subtle  judgment,  is  one  of  the  sorrows 
which  make  it  hard  to  accept  with  a  good  grace  the  ad- 
vancing years  which  otherwise  have  brought  so  much  that 
is  sweet. 

He,  who  was  one  of  the  most  famous,  clear-sighted  and 
learned  students  of  the  Jiible  and  its  exegesis  of  our  day, 
was  familiar  with  all  the  critical  labours  which  have  been 
published  within  the  last  few  years  in  the  field  of  Old 
Testament  criticism.  He  took  up  a  determined  attitude 
against  the  views  of  a  younger  school  who  endeavor  to  ex- 
punge the  Exodus  of  the  Israelites  from  the  page  of 
history,  and  regard  it  as  a  later  outcome  of  the  myth-form- 
ing spirit  of  the  people  ;  a  theory  which  he,  like  myself, 
regarded  as  untenable.  One  of  his  sentences  on  this  ques- 
tion, dwells  in  my  memory,  to  this  effect  :  "  If  the  events 
recorded  in  the  Second  Book  of  Moses  really  never  oc- 
curred-a  hypothesis  I  entirely  reject — then  no  historical 
event  entailing  equally  important  results  need  have  hap- 
pened anywhere  or  at  any  time.  The  story  of  the  Exodus 
has,  for  thousands  of  years,  survived  in  the  minds  of  num- 
berless human  beings  as  a  real  event,  and  has  influenced 
them  as  such.  Hence  it  is  no  less  certainly  a  part  of  his- 
tory than  the  French  Revolution  and  its  results." 

But  in  spite  of  such  encouragement,  for  many  years  I 
lacked  courage  to  bring  my  tale  of  the  Exodus  to  a  con- 
clusion, till,  last  winter,  an  unexpected  request  from  abroad 
prompted  me  to  take  it  up  again.  I  then  carried  it  through 
without  interruption  and  with  fresh  spirit,  and  I  may  say 
with  rejuvenated  delight  in  the  perilous  and  yet  fascinat- 
ing theme. 

The  locality  of  the  narrative,  the  scenery  in  which  it 
moves,  I  have  described  as  exactly  as  possible  from  that 
which  I  saw  in  Goshen  and  the  Sinaitic  peninsula,  and  it 
will  answer  to  the  preconceptions  of  many  a  reader  of 
"  Joshua."  With  regard  to  those  parts  of  the  story  which  I 
have  introduced  on  the  ground  of  ancient  Egyptian  lore  it 
will  be  ditterent.  They  will  surprise  the  novice,  for  few,  per- 
haps, have  ever  reflected  as  to  how  the  events  related  in 
the  Bible  from  the  Jewish  point  of  view,  may  have  effected 
the  Egyptians  ;  or  what  the  political  condition  of  the  land 
of  the  Pharaohs  may  have  been  when  they  bid  the  Israelites 
depart.     I  have  endeavored  to  depict  these  things  as  truly 

as  possible  from  the  monumental  records.    For  the  portraits 


PREFACE.  Hi 

of  the  Hebrews  mentioned  in  Scripture  the  Bible  is  the 
best  authority,  and  the  character  of  the  Pharaoh  of  the 
Exodus  is  also  painted  from  the  Bible  narrative  ;  it  agrees 
very  remarkably  with  the  remaining  pictures  of  the  weak 
King  Menephtah.  From  the  history  of  a  somewhat  later 
period  I  have  borrowed  and  introduced  the  conspiracy  of 
Siptah  ;  the  accession  of  Seti  II.  and  the  person  of  Aarsu 
the  Assyrian,  who,  according  to  the  Harris  Papyrus  No.  I. 
(London)  seized  the  reins  of  government  after  Siptah  had 
been  proclaimed  king. 

Monsieur  Naville's  excavations  have  left  no  doubts  as  to 
the  position  of  Pithom,  or  Succoth.  They  brought  to  light 
the  fortified  Storehouse  of  Pithom  mentioned  in  the  Bible  ; 
and  as  the  narrative  tells  us  that  the  Israelites  rested 
there,  and  then  set  forth  again,  it  must  be  assumed  that 
they  conquered  the  garrison  of  the  building  and  took  pos- 
session of  the  contents  of  the  vast  granaries  which  may 
be  seen  at  this  day. 

In  my  work,  published  so  long  ago  as  1868,*  I  already 
pointed  out  that  the  Etham  of  the  Bible  was  identical  with 
the  Egyptian  Khetam,  that  is  to  say,  the  line  of  fortresses 
which  protected  the  Isthmus  of  Suez  from  the  attacks  of 
the  peoples  of  the  East,  and  my  opinion  has  long  since 
been  generally  accepted.  It  fully  explains  the  return  of 
the  wanderers  from  Etham. 

The  Mount  of  the  Lawgiving  is,  to  me,  the  majestic  peak 
of  Serbal,  not  the  Sinai  of  the  monks  ;  my  reasons  are  fully 
explained  in  my  work  on  Sinai. f  I  have  also  endeavoured, 
in  the  same  book,  to  show  that  the  resting  placa  called  in 
the  Bible  Dophkah,  is  identical  with  the  abandoned  mines 
now  called  Wadi  Maghara. 

The  writer  has  endeavoured  by  means  of  the  actors  in 
his  tale,  their  adventures  and  reflexions — in  part  the  inven- 
tion of  his  own  fancy — to  make  the  mighty  destinies  of  the 
people  he  has  attempted  to  describe,  more  humanly  real  to 
the  sympathetic  reader.  If  he  has  succeeded  in  this,  with- 
out seeming  to  dwarf  the  splendid  narrative  of  the  Bible, 
he  has  attained  his  end  ;  if  he  has  failed,  he  must  rest 
content  with  the  pleasure  and  personal  exaltation  he  has 
enjoyed  while  composing  the  work.  Georg  Ebers. 

Tutzing  am  Starnberger  See.     September,  1S89. 

*  Egypten  und  die  Bucher  Mose's.     Leipzig,  W.  Engelmann. 
I  Durch    Gosen  nach    Sinai.      Leipzig,    W.   Engelmann.      Second 
Edition,  1882. 


GENERAL  PREFATORY  NOTE 

TO  THE 

LIBRARY   OF   FOREIGN   LITERATURE. 

By  THE  EDITOR. 

There  is  nothing  in  which  the  Anglo-Saxon  world  differs 
more  from  the  world  of  the  Continent  of  Europe  than  in  its 
fiction.  English  and  American  readers  are  accustomed  to 
satisfy  their  curiosity  with  American  and  English  novels,  and 
it  is  rarely  indeed  that  we  turn  aside  to  learn  something  of 
the  interior  life  of  those  other  countries  the  exterior  scenery 
of  which  is  often  so  familiar  to  us.  We  climb  the  Alps,  but 
are  content  to  know  nothing  of  the  pastoral  romances  of 
Switzerland.  We  steam  in  and  out  of  the  picturesque  fjords 
of  Norway,  but  never  guess  what  deep  speculation  into  life 
and  morals  is  made  by  the  novelists  of  that  sparsely  peopled 
but  richly  endowed  nation.  We  stroll  across  the  courts  of 
the  Alhambra,  we  are  listlessly  rowed  upon  Venetian  canals 
and  Lombard  lakes.  We  hasten  by  night  through  the  roaring 
factories  of  Belgium,  but  never  pause  to  inquire  whether  there 
is  now  flourishing  a  Spanish,  an  Italian,  a  Flemish  school  of 
fiction.  Of  Russian  novels  we  have  lately  been  taught  to  be- 
come partly  aware,  but  we  do  not  ask  ourselves  whether  Po- 
land may  not  possess  a  Dostoieffsky  and  Portugal  a  Tolstoi. 
Yet,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  there  is  no  European  country  that 
has  not,  within  the  last  half  century,  felt  the  dew  of  revival 
on  the  threshing-floor  of  its  worn-out  schools  of  romance. 
Everywhere  there  has  been  shown  by  young  men,  endowed 
with  a  talent  for  narrative,  a  vigorous  determination  to  de- 
vote themselves  to  a  vivid  and  sympathetic  interpretation  of 
nature  and  of  man.  In  almost  every  language,  too,  this  move- 
ment has  tended  to  display  itself  more  and  more  in  the  direc- 
tion of  what  is  reported  and  less  of  what  is  created.  Fancy 
has  seemed  to  these  young  novelists  a  poorer  thing  than  ob- 
servation, the  world  of  dreams  fainter  than  the  world  of  men. 
They  have  not  been  occupied  mainly  with  what  might  be  or 
what  should  be,  but  with  what  is,  and  in  spite  of  all  their 


2  GENERAL    PREFATORY  .VOTE. 

shortcomings  they  have  combined  I"  produce  a  series  of  pict- 
ures of  existing  society  in  each  of  their  several  countries 
such  as  cannot  fail  to  form  au  archive  of  documents  invaluable 
to  futurity. 

But  to  us  they  should  be  still  more  valuable.  To  travel  in 
a  foreign  country  is  but  to  touch  its  surface.  Under  the  guid- 
ance of  a  novelist  of  genius  we  penetrate  to  the  secrets  of  a 
nation,  and  talk  the  very  language  of  its  citizens.  We  may 
go  to  Normandy  summer  after  summer  and  know  less  of  the 
manner  of  life  that  proceeds  under  those  gnarled  orchards  of 
appledilossom  than  we  learn  from  one  tale  of  Guy  de  Mau- 
passant's. The  present  series  is  intended  to  be  a  guide  to  the 
inner  geography  of  Europe.  It  presents  to  our  readers  a 
series  of  spiritual  Baedekers  and  Murrays.  It  will  endeavor 
to  keep  pace  with  every  truly  characteristic  and  vigorous  e  x- 
pression  of  the  novelist's  art  in  each  of  the  principal  European 
countries,  presenting  what  is  quite  new,  if  it  is  also  good, 
side  by  siile  with  what  is  old,  if  it  has  not  hitherto  been  pre- 
sented to  our  public.  That  will  be  selected  which  gives  with 
most  freshness  ami  variety  the  different  aspects  of  continental 
feeling,  the  only  limits  of  selection  being  that  a  book  shall  be, 
on  the  one  hand,  amusing,  and  on  the  other  wholesome. 

One  difficulty  which  must  be  frankly  faced  is  that  of  sub- 
ject.. Life  is  now  treated  in  fiction  by  every  race  but  our  own 
with  singular  candor.  The  novelists  of  the  Lutheran  Isorth 
are  not  more  fully  emancipateel  from  prejudice  in  this  respect 
than  the  novelists  of  the  Catholic  South.  Everywhere  in  Eu- 
rope  a  novel  is  looked  upon  now  as  an  impersonal  work,  from 
which  the  writer,  as  a  mere  observer,  stands  aloof,  neither 
blaming  nor  applaueling.  Continental  fiction  has  excluded, 
in  the  main,  from  among  the  subjects  of  its  attention,  all  but 
those  facts  which  are  of  common  experience,  and  thus  the 
novelists  having  eletermineel  to  disdain  nothing  ami  to  repu- 
diate nothing  which  is  common  to  humanity  ;  much  is  freely 
eliseaissed,  even  in  the  novels  of  Holland  and  of  Denmark, 
which  our  race  is  apt  to  treat  with  a  much  more  gingerly  elis- 
cretietn.  It  is  not  difficult,  however,  we  believe — it  is  certainly 
not  impossible — to  discard  all  which  may  justly  give  offence 
and  yet  to  otter  to  an  American  puldie?  as  many  of  the  master- 
pieces oi  European  fiction  as  we  can  ever  hope  to  see  in- 
clueh.-d  in  this  library.  It  will  be  the  endeavor  of  the  editor 
<e>  search  on  all  hands  and  in  all  language's  for  such  be)oks  as 
combine  the  greatest  Literary  value  with  the  most  curious  and 
amusing  equalities  of  manner  and  matter. 

Emiusn  Gosse. 


JOSHUA; 


CHAPTER  I. 

"  Go  down,  grandfather.     I  will  keep  watch." 

But  the  old  man  to  whom  the  words  were  spoken  shook 
his  shaven  head. 

"  But  up  here  you  will  get  no  rest." 

"  And  the  stars  ? — or  even  below  ;  rest,  in  such  times 
as  these  !  Throw  my  cloak  over  me — rest  in  such  a  fear- 
ful night !  " 

"  You  are  so  cold  ;  and  your  hand  and  the  instrument 
shake." 

"  Then  steady  my  arm." 

The  lad  willingly  obeyed  the  request;  but  after  a  short 
space  he  exclaimed  :  "  It  is  all  in  vain.  Star  after  star  is 
swallowed  up  in  black  clouds.  Ah,  and  the  bitter  cry  of 
the  city  comes  up.  Nay,  it  comes  from  our  own  house.  I 
am  sick  at  heart,  grandfather  ;  only  feel  how  hot  my  head 
is.     Come  down,  perchance  they  need  help." 

"  They  are  in  the  hands  of  the  gods,  and  my  place  is  here. 
But  there,  there  !  Eternal  gods  !  Look  to  the  north  across 
the  lake  !  No,  more  to  the  westward.  They  come  from 
the  city  of  the  dead  !  " 

"  Oh,  grandfather,  father,  there  !  "  cried  the  youth,  a 
priestly  neophyte,  who  was  lending  his  aid  to  an  elder 
whose  grandson  he  was,  the  chief  astrologer  of  Amon- 
Ra. 

They  were  standing  on  the  watchtower  of  the  temple 
of  the  god  at  Tanis,  the  capital  of  the  Pharaohs,  in  the 
north  of  the  land  of  Goshen.  As  he  spoke  he  drew  away 
his  shoulder  on  which  the  old  man  was  leaning.  "  There, 
there  !  Is  the  sea  swallowing  up  the  land  ?  Have  the 
clouds  fallen  on  the  earth  to  surge  to  and  fro  ?  Oh,  grand- 
father, may  the  immortals  have  mercy  !    the  nether  world 


4  JOSHUA. 

is  yawning  !  The  great  serpent  Apep  is  come  forth  from 
the  city  of  the  dead  !  It  comes  rolling  past  the  temple.  I 
see  it,  I  hear  it  !  The  great  Hebrew's  threat  is  being 
fulfilled  !  Our  race  will  be  cut  off  from  the  earth.  The 
serpent !  Its  head  is  set  toward  the  southeast.  It  will 
surely  swallow  up  the  young  sun  when  it  rises  in  the  morn- 
ing!" 

The  old  man's  eyes  followed  the  direction  of  the  youth's 
finger,  and  he,  too,  could  discern  that  a  vast,  black  mass, 
whose  outline  was  lost  in  the  darkness,  came  rolling  through 
the  gloom,  and  he,  too,  heard  with  a  shudder  the  creature's 
low  roar. 

Both  stood  with  eye  and  ear  alert,  staring  into  the  night, 
but  the  star-gazer's  eye  was  fixed  not  upward,  but  down, 
across  the  city  to  the  distant  sea  and  level  plain.  Over- 
head all  was  silent,  and  yet  not  all  at  rest,  for  the  wind 
swept  the  dark  clouds  into  shapeless  masses  in  one  place, 
while  in  another  it  rent  the  gray  shroud,  and  scattered  them 
far  and  wide. 

The  moon  was  not  visible  to  mortal  ken,  but  the  clouds 
played  hide  and  seek  with  the  bright  southern  stars,  now 
covering  them,  and  now  giving  their  rays  free  passage.  And 
as  in  the  firmament,  so  on  earth  there  was  a  constant 
change  from  pallid  light  to  blackest  darkness.  Now  the 
glitter  of  the  heavenly  bodies  flashed  brightly  down  on  the 
sea  and  estuary,  on  the  polished  granite  sides  of  the 
obelisks  in  the  temple  precincts  and  the  gilt  copper  roof 
of  the  king's  airy  palace ;  and  again,  lake  and  river,  the 
sails  in  the  harbor,  the  sanctuaries  and  streets  of  the  ojty, 
and  the  palm-strewn  plain  surrounding  it  were  all  lost  in 
gloom. 

Objects  which  the  eye  tried  to  rest  on  vanished  in  an 
instant,  and  it  was  the  same  with  the  sounds  that  met  the 
ear.  For  a  while  the  silence  would  be  as  deep  as  though 
all  life,  far  and  near,  were  hushed  or  dead,  and  then  a 
piercing  shriek  of  woe  rent  the  stillness  of  the  night.  And 
then,  broken  by  longer  or  shorter  pauses,  that  roar  was 
heard  which  the  youthful  priest  had  taken  for  the  voice 
of  the  serpent  of  the  nether  world  ;  and  to  that  the  grand- 
father and  grandson  listened  with  growing  excitement. 
,  The  dusky  shape,  whose  ceaseless  movements  could  be 
clearly  made  out  whenever  the  stars  shot  their  beams  be- 
tween the  striving  clouds,  had  its  beginning  out  by  the  city 


JOSHUA.  5 

of  the  dead  and  the  strangers'  quarter.  A  sudden  panic 
had  fallen  on  the  old  man  as  on  the  young  one,  but  he  was 
quicker  to  recover  himself,  and  his  keen  and  practiced  eye 
soon  discovered  that  it  was  not  a  single  gigantic  form  which 
was  rising  from  the  necropolis  to  cross  the  plain,  but  a 
multitude  of  moving  creatures  who  seemed  to  be  surging 
or  swaying  to  and  fro  on  the  meadow  land.  Nor  did  the 
hollow  hum  and  wailing  come  up  from  one  particular  spot, 
but  was  audible  now  nearer  and  now  more  remote.  Anon 
he  fancied  that  it  was  rising  from  the  bosom  of  the  earth, 
and  then  again  that  it  fell  from  some  airy  height. 

Fresh  terror  came  upon  the  old  astrologer.  He  seized 
his  grandson's  hand  in  his  right  hand,  and  pointing  with 
his  left  to  the  city  of  the  dead,  he  cried  in  a  trembling 
voice  :  "  The  dead  are  too  many  in  number.  The  nether 
world  overflows,  as  the  river  does  when  its  bed  is  too 
narrow  for  the  waters  of  the  south.  How  they  swarm  and 
sway  and  surge  on  !  How  they  part,  hither  and  thither  ! 
These  are  the  ghosts  of  the  thousands  whom  black  death 
hath  snatched  away,  blasted  by  the  Hebrew's  curse,  and 
sent  unburied,  unprotected  from  corruption,  to  descend  the 
rungs  of  the  ladder  which  leads  to  the  world  without  end." 

"  Yea,  it  is  they  ! "  cried  the  other,  in  full  belief.  He 
snatched  his  hand  from  the  old  man's  grasp  and  struck  his 
fevered  and  burning  brow,  exclaiming,  though  hardly  able 
to  speak  for  terror  :  "  They — the  damned  !  The  wind  has 
blown  them  to  the  sea,  and  its  waters  spew  them  out  and 
cast  them  on  the  land  again,  and  the  blessed  earth  rejects 
them  and  drives  them  into  the  air.  The  pure  ether  of 
Shoo  flings  them  back  to  the  ground,  and  now — look, 
listen  !  They  are  groaning  as  Siey  seek  the  way  to  the 
desert." 

"  To  the  fire  !  "  cried  the  elder.  "  Flame,  purify  them ; 
water,  cleanse  them  !  " 

The  youth  joined  in  the  old  priest's  form  of  exorcism, 
and  while  they  chanted  it  in  unison,  the  trap  door  was 
lifted  which  led  to  this  observatory  on  the  top  of  the 
highest  gate  of  the  temple,  and  a  priest  of  humble  grade 
cried  to  the  old  man  : 

"Cease  thy  labors.  Who  cares  now  for  the  stars  of 
heaven  when  all  that  has  life  is  being  darkened  on 
earth  ?  " 

The  old  priest  listened  speechless,  till   the  messenger 


6  'JOSHUA. 

went  on  to  say  that  it  was  the  astrologer's  wife  who  had 
sent  for  him,  and  then  he  gasped  out : 

"  llora?  Is  my  son  then  likewise  stricken  ?  " 

The  priest  then  bent  his  head,  and  both  his  hearers 
wept  bitterly,  for  the  old  man  was  bereft  of  his  first-born 
son,  and  the  lad  of  a  tender  father. 

But  when  the  boy,  trembling  with  fear,  fell  sick  and 
sorrowing  on  his  grandfather's  breast,  the  elder  hastily 
freed  himself  from  his  embrace  and  went  to  the  trapdoor  ; 
for  although  the  priest  had  announced  himself  as  the 
messenger  of  death,  it  needs  more  than  the  bare  word  of 
another  to  persuade  a  father  to  give  up  all  hope  of  life  for 
his  child.  The  old  man  went  quickly  down  the  stone 
stairs,  through  the  lofty  halls  and  wide  courts  of  the  temple  ; 
and  the  lad  followed  him,  although  his  shaking  knees  could 
scarcely  carry  his  fevered  frame.  The  blow  which  had 
fallen  within  his  own  little  circle  had  made  the  old  man 
forget  the  fearful  portent  which  threatened  the  whole  world 
perhaps  with  ruin  ;  but  the  boy  could  not  get  rid  of  the 
vision  ;  even  when  he  had  passed  the  first  court,  and  was 
in  sight  of  the  outermost  pylons,  to  his  terrified  and 
anxious  soul  it  seemed  as  though  the  shadows  of  the 
obelisks  were  spinning  round,  while  the  two  stone  statues 
of  King  Rameses  on  the  corner  piers  of  the  great  gate  beat 
time  with  the  crook  in  his  hand. 

At  this  the  lad  dropped  fever-stricken  on  the  ground.  A 
convulsion  distorted  his  features  and  tossed  his  slender 
frame  to  and  fro  in  frantic  spasms ;  and  the  old  man, 
falling  on  his  knees,  while  he  guarded  the  curly  head  from 
striking  the  hard  stone  flags,  moaned  in  a  low  voice  :  "  Now, 
it  has  fallen  on  him." 

Suddently  he  collected  himself  and  shouted  aloud  for 
help,  but  in  vain,  and  again  in  vain.  At  last  his  voice  fell ; 
he  sought  consolation  in  prayer.  Then  he  heard  a  sound 
of  voices  from  the  avenue  of  sphinxes  leading  to  the  great 
gate,  and  new  hope  revived  in  his  heart. 

Who  could  it  be  who  was  arriving  at  so  late  an  hour? 

Mingled  with  cries  of  grief  the  chanting  of  priests  fell 
on  his  ear,  the  tinkle  and  clatter  of  the  metallic  sistrum 
shaken  by  holy  women  in  honor  of  the  god,  and  the 
measured  footfall  of  men  praying  as  they  marched  on. 

A  solemn  procession  was  approaching.  The  astrologer 
raised  his  eyes,  and  after  glancing  at  the  double  line  of 


JOSHUA.  .  y 

granite  columns,  colossal  statues  and  obelisks  in  the  great 
court,  looked  up,  in  obedience  to  the  habits  of  a  lifetime, 
at  the  starry  heavens  above,  and  in  the.midst  of  his  woe  a 
bitter  smile  parted  his  sunken  lips,  for  the  gods  this  night 
lacked  the  honors  that  were  their  due. 

For  on  this  night — the  first  after  the  new  moon  in  the 
month  of  Pharmutee — the  sanctuary  in  former  years  was 
wont  to  be  gay  with  garlands  of  flowers.  At  the  dawn  of 
day  after  this  moonless  night  the  high  festival  of  the  spring 
equinox  should  begin,  and  with  it  the  harvest  thanks- 
giving. 

At  this  "time  a  grand  procession  marched  through  the 
city  to  the  "river  and  harbor,  as  prescribed  by  the  Book  of 
the  Divine  Birth  of  the  Sun,  in  honor  of  the  great  goddess 
Neith,  of  Rennoot,  who  bestows  the  gifts  of  the  field,  and 
of  Horus,  at  whose  bidding  the  desert  blooms ;  but  to-day 
the  silence  of  death  reigned  in  the  sanctuary,  whose  court- 
yards should  have  been  crowded  at  this  hour  with  men, 
women  and  children,  bringing  offerings  to  place  on  the 
very  spot  where  his  grandson  lay  under  the  hand  of  death. 

A  broad  beam  of  light  suddenly  fell  into  the  vast  court, 
which  till  now  had  been  but  dimly  lighted  by  a  few  lamps. 
Could  they  be  so  mad  as  to  think  that  the  glad  festival 
might  be  held  in  spite  of  the  nameless  horrors  of  the  past 
night  ? 

Only  the  evening  before,  the  priests  in  council  had 
determined  that  during  this  pitiless  pestilence  the  temples 
were  to  be  left  unadorned  and  processions  to  be  prohibited. 
By  noon  yesterday  many  had  failed  to  attend  because 
the  plague  had  fallen  on  their  households,  and  the 
terror  had  now  come  into  this  very  sanctuary,  while 
he,  who  could  read  the  stars,  had  been  watching 
them  in  their  courses.  Why  else  should  it  have  been 
deserted  by  the  watchmen  and  other  astrologers,  who  had 
been  with  him  at  sunset,  and  whose  duty  it  was  to  keep 
vigil  here  all  night  ? 

He  turned  once  more  to  the  suffering  boy  with  tender 
anxiety,  but  instantly  started  to  his  feet,  for  the  gates 
were  opened  wide,  and  the  light  of  torches  and  lanterns 
poured  into  the  temple  court.  A  glance  at  the  sky  showed 
him  that  it  was  not  long  past  midnight,  and  yet  his  fears 
were  surely  well  grounded — these  must  be  the  priests 
crowding  into  the  temple  to  prepare  kfor  the  harvest 
festival. 


g  JOSHUA* 

Not  so. 

For  when  had  they  come  to  the  sanctuary  for  this 
purpose,  chanting  and  in  procession  ?  Nor  were  these  all 
servants  of  the  divinity.  The  populace  had  joined  them. 
In  that  solemn  litany  he  could  hear  the  shrill  wailing  of 
women  mingled  with  wild  cries  of  despair  such  as  he  had 
never  before,  in  the  course  of  a  lopg  life,  heard  within 
these  consecrated  walls. 

Or  did  his  senses  deceive  him  ?  Was  it  the  groaning 
horde  of  unresting  souls  which  he  had  seen  from  the 
observatory  who  were  crowding  into  the  sanctuary  of 
the  god  ? 

Fresh  horrors  fell  upon  him  ;  he  threw  up  his  arms  in 
interdiction,  and  for  a  few  moments  repeated  the  formula 
against  the  malice  of  evil  spirits  \  but  he  presently  dropped 
his  hands,  for  he  marked  among  the  throng  some  friends 
who  yesterday,  at  any  rate,  had  been  in  the  land  of  the 
living.  Foremost,  the  tall  figure  of  the  second  prophet  of 
the  god  ;  then  the  women  devoted  to  the  service  of  Amon- 
Ra,  the  singers  and  the  holy  fathers  \  and  when  at  last, 
behind  the  astrologers  and  pastophoroi,  he  saw  his  son-in- 
law,  whose  home  had  till  yesterday  been  spared  by  the 
plague,  he  took  heart  and  spoke  to  him.  But  his  voice 
was  drowned  by  the  song  and  cries  of  the  coming  multitude. 

The  courtyard  was  now  fully  lighted;  but  every  one  was 
so  absorbed  in  his  own  sorrow  that  no  one  heeded  the  old 
astrologer.  He  snatched  the  cloak  off  his  own  shivering 
body  to  make  a  better  pillow  for  the  boy's  tossing  head, 
and  while  he  did  so,  with  fatherly  care,  he  could  hear 
among  the  chanting  and  wailing  of  the  approaching  crowd, 
first,  frantic  curses  on  the  Hebrews,  through  whom  these 
woes  had  fallen  on  Pharaoh  and  his  people,  and  then, 
again  and  again,  the  name  of  the  heir  to  the  crown,  Prince 
Rameses  ;  and  the  tone  in  which  it  was  spoken,  and  the 
formulas  of  mourning  which  were  added,  announced  to  all 
who  had  ears  to  hear  that  the  eyes  of  the  first-born  of  the 
king  on  his  throne  were  also  sealed  in  death. 

As  he  gazed  with  growing  anguish  in  his  grandson's  pale 
face,  the  lamentations  for  the  prince  rang  out  afresh  and 
louder  than  ever,  and  a  faint  sense  of  satisfaction  crept 
into  his  soul  at  the  impartiality  of  Death,  who  spared  not 
the  sovereign  on  his  throne  any  more  than  the  beggar  by 
the  wayside. 


JQSHUA.  9 

He  knew  now  what  had  brought  this  noisy  throng  to  the 
sanctuary. 

He  went  forward  with  such  haste  as  his  old  limbs  would 
allow  to  meet  the  column  of  mourners,  but  before  he 
could  join  them  he  saw  the  gatekeeper  and  his  wife  come 
out  of  the  gatehouse,  bearing  between  them,  on  a  mat,  the 
corpse  of  a  boy.  The  husband  held  one  end,  his  frail,  tiny 
wife  held  the  other  ;  and  the  stalwart  man  had  to  stoop  low 
to  keep  their  stiff  burden  in  a  horizontal  position  that  it 
might  not  slip  down  towards  the  woman.  Three  children 
closed  the  melancholy  party,  and  a  little  girl  holding  a 
lantern  led  the  way. 

No  one,  perhaps,  would  have  observed  them,  but  that  the 
gatekeeper's  wife  shrieked  forth  her  griefs  so  loudly  and 
shrilly  that  it  was  impossible  not  to  hear  her  cries.  The 
second  prophet  of  Amon  turned  to  look,  and  then  his  compa- 
nions ;  the  procession  came  to  a  standstill,  and,  as  some 
of  the  priests  went  nearer  to  the  body,  the  father  cried  in 
a  loud  voice :  "  Away,  away  from  the  plague-stricken ! 
Our  first-born  is  dead  !  " 

The  mother,  meanwhile,  had  snatched  the  lantern  from 
her  little  daughter,  and,  holding  it  so  as  to  throw  a  light 
on  the  face  of  the  dead  boy,  she  shrieked  out : 

"  The  god  hath  suffered  it  to  come  to  pass.  Yes,  even 
under  our  own  roof.  But  it  is  not  his  will,  but  the  curse 
of  the  stranger  in  the  land  that  has  come  over  us  and  our 
lives.  Behold,  this  was  the  first-born ;  and  two  temple 
servants  have  likewise  been  taken.  One  is  dead  already  ; 
he  is  lying  in  our  little  room  yonder ;  and  there — see, 
there  lies  young  Kamus,  the  grandson  of  Rameri,  the  star- 
reader.  We  heard  the  old  man  calling  and  saw  what  was 
happening,  but  who  can  hold  another  man's  house  up  when 
his  own  is  falling  about  his  ears  ?  Beware  while  it  is  yet 
time,  for  the  gods  have  opened  even  the  temple  gates  to 
the  abomination,  and  if  the  whole  world  should  perish  I 
should  not  be  surprised,  and  never  complain — certainly 
not.  My  lords  and  priests,  I  am  but  a  poor  and  humble 
woman,  but  am  I  not  in  the  right  when  I  ask :  Are  our 
gods  asleep  ?  Has  a  magic  spell  bound  them  ?  Or 
what  are  they  doing,  and  where  are  they,  that  they  leave 
us  and  our  children  in  the  power  of  the  vile  Hebrew 
race?" 


io  JOSHUA. 

u  Down  with  them  !  Down  with  the  strangers  !  They 
are  magicians.     Into  the  sea  with  Mesu,*  the  sorcerer!" 

As  an  echo  follows  a  cry,  so  did  these  imprecations  follow 
the  woman's  curse  ;  and  Hornecht,  the  old  astrologer's 
son-in-law,  captain  of  the  archers,  whose  blood  boiled  over 
at  the  sight  of  his  dying,  fair  young  nephew,  brandished 
his  short  sword,  and  cried  in  a  frenzy  of  rage  :  "  Follow 
me,  every  man  who  has  a  heart !  At  them  !  Life  for 
life  !  Ten  Hebrews  for  each  Egyptian  whom  their  sorcerer 
has  killed  !  " 

A  flock  will  rush  into  the  fire  if  only  the  ram  leads  the 
way,  and  the  crowd  flocked  to  follow  the  noble  warrior. 
The  women  pushed  in  front  of  the  men,  thronging  the  door- 
way, and  as  the  servants  of  the  sanctuary  hesitated  till 
they  should  know  the  opinion  of  the  prophet  of  Amon, 
their  leader  drew  up  in  his  majestic  figure,  and  said  deli- 
berately : 

(i  All  who  wear  priests'  robes  remain  to  pray  with  me. 
The  people  are  the  instrument  of  heaven,  and  it  is  theirs  to 
repay.  We  stay  here  to  pray  for  success  to  their  ven- 
geance." 


CHAPTER    II. 

Baie,  the  second  prophet  of  Amon,  who  acted  as  deputy 
for  the  now  infirm  old  head  prophet  and  high  priest  Ruie, 
withdrew  into  the  holy  of  holies,  and  while  the  multitude 
of  the  inferior  ministers  of  the  god  proceeded  to  their 
various  duties,  the  infuriated  crowd  hurried  through  the 
streets  of  the  town  to  the  strangers'  quarter. 

As  a  swollen  torrent  raging  through  a  valley  carries  down 
with  it  everything  in  its  way,  so  the  throng,  as  they  rushed 
to  their  revenge,  compelled  every  one  on  their  road  to  join 
them.  Every  Egyptian  from  whom  death  had  snatched 
his  nearest  and  dearest  was  ready  to  join  the  swelling  tide, 
and  it  grew  till  it  numbered  hundreds  of  thousands.  Men, 
women  and  children,  slaves  and  free,  borne  on  the  wings 
of  their  desire  to  wreak  ruin  and  death  on  the  detested 
Hebrews,  flew  to  the  distant  quarter  where  they  dwelt. 


*  Mesu  is  the  Egyptian  form  of  the  name  of  Moses. 


.     JOSHUA.  II 

How  this  artisan  had  laid  hold  of  a  chopper  or  that 
housewife  had  clutched  an  axe,  they  themselves  scarcely 
knew.  They  rushed  on  to  kill  and  destroy,  and  they  had 
not  sought  the  weapons  they  needed ;  they  had  found 
them  ready  to  their  hand. 

The  first  they  hoped  to  fall  upon  in  their  mad  fury  was 
Nun,  a  venerable  Hebrew,  respected  and  beloved  by  many 
—a  man  rich  in  herds,  who  had  done  much  kindness  to 
the  Egyptians  ;  but  where  hatred  and  revenge  make  them- 
selves heard,  gratitude  stands  shy  and  speechless  in  the 
background. 

His  large  estates  lay,  like  the  houses  and  huts  of  the 
men  of  his  race,  in  the  strangers'  quarter,  to  the  west  of 
Tanis,  and  were  the  nearest  of  them  all  to  the  streets  inha- 
bited by  the  Egyptians  themselves. 

At  this  morning  hour  Nun's  flocks  and  herds  were  wont 
to  be  taken,  first  to  water,  and  then  to  the  pasture  ;  so  the 
large  yard  in  front  of  his  house  would  be  full  of  cattle,  farm 
men  and  women,  carts  and  field  implements.  The  owner 
himself  commonly  ordered  the  going  of  his  beasts,  and  he 
and  his  were  to  be  the  first  victims  of  the  popular  rage. 

The  swiftest  runners  had  already  reached  his  spacious 
farm,  and  among  them  Hornecht,  the  captain  of  the  arch- 
ers. There  lay  the  house  and  buildings  in  the  first  bright 
beams  of  the  morning  sun,  and  a  brawny  smith  kicked 
violently  at  the  closed  door;  but  there  was  no  bolt,  and  it 
flew  open  so  readily  that  he  had  to  clutch  at  the  door  post 
to  save  himself  from  falling.  Others  pushed  by  him  into 
the  courtyard,  among  them  the  archer  chief. 

But  what  was  the  meaning  of  this  ? 

Had  some  new  charm  been  wrought  to  show  the  power 
of  Mesu,  who  had  brought  such  terrible  plagues  already  on 
the  land,  and  display  the  might  of  his  god  ? 

The  yard  was  empty,  absolutely  empty  ;  only  in  their 
stalls  lay  a  few  cattle  and  sheep,  slain  because  they  had 
suffered  from  injury,  while  a  lame  lamb  hobbled  away  at 
the  sight  of  the  intruders.  Even  the  carts  and  barrows 
had  vanished.  The  groaning  and  bleating  crowd,  which 
the  star-gazer  had  taken  to  be  the  spirits  of  the  damned, 
was  the  host  of  the  Hebrews,  who  had  fled  by  night  with 
all  their  herds,  under  the  guidance  of  Moses. 

The  leader  dropped  his  sword,  and  it  might  have  been 
thought  that  the  scene  before  him  was  to  him  an  agreeable 


13  JOSHUA. 

surprise  ;  but  his  companion,  a  scribe  from  the  king's 
treasury,  looked  round  the  deserted  courtyard  with  the  dis- 
appointed air  of  a  man  who  has  been  cheated. 

The  tide  of  passions  and  schemes  which  had  risen  high 
during  the  night,  ebbed  under  the  broad  light  of  day. 
Even  the  soldier's  easily-stirred  ire  had  subsided  to  compa- 
rative calm.  The  mob  might  have  done  their  worst  to  the 
other  Hebrews,  but  not  to  Nun,  whose  son  Hosea  (Joshua) 
had  been  his  comrade  in  battle,  one  of  the  most  esteemed 
captains  in  the  field,  and  a  private  friend  of  his  own.  If 
Hornecht  had  foreseen  that  Nun's  farmstead  would  be  the 
first  spot  to  be  attacked,  he  would  never  have  led  the  mob 
to  their  revenge,  and  once  more  in  his  life  he  bitterly  rued 
that  he  had  been  carried  away  by  sudden  wrath  to  forget 
the  calm  demeanor  which  beseemed  his  years.  And  now, 
while  some  of  the  crowd  proceeded  to  rifle  and  pull  down 
Nun's  deserted  dwellings,  men  and  women  came  running 
in  to  say  that  no  living  soul  was  to  be  found  in  any  of  the 
other  houses  near.  Some  had  to  tell  of  yelling  cats  squat- 
ting on  vacant  hearths,  of  beasts  past  service  found 
slaughtered,  and  broken  household  gear,  till  at  last  the 
angry  crowd  dragged  forward  a  Hebrew  with  his  family, 
and  a  grey-haired,  half-witted  woman  whom  they  had 
hunted  out  among  some  straw.  The  old  woman  laughed 
foolishly  and  said  that  her  people  had  called  her  till  they 
were  hoarse,  but  Mehela  knew  better;  and  as  for  walking, 
walking  forever,  as  her  people  meant  to  do,  that  she  could 
not ;  her  feet  were  too  tender,  and  she  had  not  even  a  pair 
of  sandals. 

The  man,  a  hideous  Jew,  whom  few  even  of  his  own  race 
would  have  regarded  with  pity,  declared,  first  with  humi- 
lity, bordering  on  servility,  and  then  with  the  insolent 
daring  that  was  natural  to  him,  that  he  had  nothing  to  do 
with  the  god  of  lies  in  whose  name  the  impostor  Moses 
had  tempted  away  his  people,  but  that  he  and  his  wife  and 
child  had  always  been  friends  with  the  Egyptians.  As  a 
matter  of  fact  he  was  known  to  many,  being  an  usurer,  and 
when  the  rest  of  his  tribe  had  taken  up  their  staves  he  had 
hidden  himself,  hoping  to  pursue  his  dishonest  dealings 
and  come  to  no  loss. 

But  some  of  his  debtors  were  among  the  furious  mob  ; 
and  even  without  them  he  had  not  a  chance  for  his  life,  for 
he  was   the   first  object  on  which  the  excited  multitude 


JOSHUA.  13 

couid  prorc  that  they  were  in  earnest  in  their  revenge. 
They  rushed  on  him  with  yells  of  rage,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  the  bodies  of  the  hapless  wretch  and  his  family 
lay  dead  on  the  ground.  No  one  knew  who  had  done 
the  bloody  deed ;  too  many  had  fallen  on  the  victims 
at  once. 

Others  who  had  remained  behind  were  dragged  forth 
from  houses  or  hovels,  and  they  were  not  a  few,  though 
many  had  time  to  escape  into  the  country.  These  all  fell 
victims  to  the  wrath  of  the  populace  ;  and  while  their 
blood  was  flowing,  axes  were  heaved,  and  doors  and  walls 
were  battered  down  with  beams  and  posts  to  destroy  the 
dwellings  of  the  detested  race  from  the  face  of  the  earth. 

The  glowing  embers  which  some  furious  women  had 
brought  with  them  were  extinguished  and  trodden  out,  for 
the  more  prudent  warned  them  of  the  danger  which  must 
threaten  their  own  adjoining  dwellings  and  the  whole  city 
of  Tanis  if  the  strangers'  quarter  were  set  in  flames. 

Thus  the  homes  of  the  Hebrews  were  spared  from  fire, 
but  as  the  sun  rose  higher  the  site  of  the  dwellings  they 
had  deserted  was  wrapped  in  an  impenetrable  cloud  of 
white  dust  from  the  ruins,  and  on  the  spot  where,  but 
yesterday,  thousands  of  human  beings  had  had  a  happy 
home,  and  where  vast  herds  had  slaked  their  thirst  by 
fresh  waters,  nothing  was  now  to  be  seen  but  heaps  of 
rubbish  and  stone,  while  broken  timber  and  splintered 
woodwork  strewed  the  scorching  soil.  Dogs  and  cats, 
abandoned  by  the  fugitives,  prowled  among  the  ruins,  and 
were  presently  joined  by  the  women  and  children  who 
herded  in  the  beggars'  hovels  on  the  skirts  of  the  neighbor- 
ing necropolis,  and  who  now,  with  their  hands  over  their 
mouths,  poked  among  the  choking  dust  and  piles  of 
lumber  for  any  vessels  or  broken  victuals  which  the  He- 
brews might  have  left  behind  and  the  plunderers  have  over- 
looked. 

In  the  course  of  the  afternoon  Baie  was  borne  in  his 
litter  past  the  scene  of  devastation.  He  had  not  come 
hither  to  feast  his  eyes  on  the  sight  of  the  ruins,  but  because 
they  lay  in  the  nearest  way  from  the  city  of  the  dead  to  his 
own  home.  Nevertheless,  a  smile  of  satisfaction  curled  his 
grave  lips  as  he  noted  how  thoroughly  the  populace  had 
done  their  work.  What  he  himself  had  hoped  to  see  had 
not  indeed  been  carried  out ;  the  leader  of  the  fugitives  had 


14  JOSHUA. 

evaded  their  revenge ;  but  hatred,  though  it  is  never 
satiated,  can  be  easily  gratified.  Even  the  smaller  woes 
of  an  enemy  are  joy,  and  the  priest  had  just  quitted  the 
mourning  Pharaoh,  and  though  he  had  not  yet  succeeded 
in  freeing  him  completely  from  the  bonds  laid  upon  him 
by  the  Hebrew  soothsayer,  yet  he  had  loosened  them. 

Three  words  had  the  proud,  ambitious  man  murmured 
to  himself  again  and  again — a  man  not  wont  to  talk  to  him- 
self— as  he  sat  alone  in  the  sanctuary,  meditating  on  what 
had  happened  and  on  what  had  to  be  done  ;  and  those 
three  words  were  :  "  Bless  me  also  !  " 

It  was  Pharaoh  who  had  spoken  them,  addressing  the 
petition  to  another;  and  that  other  not  old  Ruie,  the  pon- 
tiff and  high  priest,  nor  Baie  himself,  the  only  men  living 
whose  privilege  it  could  be  to  bless  the  king  ;  no,  but  the 
worst  of  the  accursed,  the  stranger,  the  Hebrew  Mesu, 
whom  he  hated  as  he  hated  none  other  on  earth. 

"  Bless  me  also  !  "  That  pious  entreaty,  which  springs 
so  confidingly  from  the  human  soul  in  anguish,  had  pierced 
his  soul  like  a  dagger-thrust.  He  felt  as  though  such  a 
prayer,  addressed  by  such  lips  to  such  a  man,  had  broken 
the  staff  in  the  hand  of  the  whole  priesthood  of  Egypt,  had 
wrenched  the  panther  skin  from  its  shoulders,  and  cast  a 
stain  on  all  the  nation  he  loved. 

He  knew  Mesu  well  for  one  of  the  wisest  sages  ever  pro- 
duced by  the  schools  of  Egypt ;  he  knew  full  well  that 
Pharaoh  was  spell  bound  by  this  man,  who  had  grown  up 
in  his  house,  and  had  been  the  friend  of  the  great  Rameses, 
his  father.  He  had  seen  the  monarch  pardon  misdeeds  in 
Mesu  which  any  other  man,  were  he  the  highest  in  the 
land,  must  have  expiated  with  his  life  ;  and  how  dear  must 
this  Hebrew  have  been  to  Pharaoh — the  sun-god  on  the 
throne  of  the  world — when  he  could  compel  the  king, 
standing  by  the  death-bed  of  his  son,  to  uplift  his  hands,  to 
him  and  implore  him  :  "  Bless  me  also." 

All  this  he  had  told  himself  and  weighed  with  due  care, 
and  still  he,  Baie,  could  not,  would  not,  yield  to  the  power- 
ful Hebrew.  He  had  regarded  it  as  his  most  urgent  and 
sacred  duty  to  bring  destruction  on  him  and  his  whole  race. 
To  fulfil  that  duty  he  would  not  have  hesitated  to  lay  hands 
on  the  throne  ;  indeed,  in  his  eyes,  by  the  utterance  of 
that  blasphemous  entreaty,  "  Bless  me  also,"  Pharaoh 
Menephtah  *iad  forfeited  his   right   to  the  sovereignty. 


JOSHUA.  15 

Moses  was  the  murderer  of  Pharaoh's  first-born,  whereas 
he  himself  and  the  venerable  high  priest  of  Anion  held  the 
weal  or  woe  of  the  deceased  youth's  soul  in  their  hands. 
And  this  weapon  was  a  keen  and  a  strong  one,  for  he  knew 
how  tender  and  irresolute  was  the  king's  heart.  If  the 
high-priest  of  Anion — the  only  man  who  stood  above  him 
— did  not  contravene  him  in  some  unaccountable  fit  of 
senile  caprice,  it  would  be  a  small  matter  to  reduce  Pharaoh 
to  submission,  but  the  vacillating  monarch  might  repent 
to-morrow  of  what  he  resolved  to-day,  if  the  Hebrew 
should  again  succeed  in  coming  between  him  and  his 
Egyptian  counselors.  Only  this  very  day,  on  hearing  the 
name  of  Moses  spoken  in  his  presence,  the  degenerate  son 
of  Rameses  the  Great  had  covered  his  face  and  quaked 
like  a  frightened  gazelle,  and  to-morrow  he  might  curse 
him  and  pronounce  sentence  of  death  against  him.  He 
might  perhaps  be  persuaded  to  do  this ;  but  even  then  by 
the  day  after  he  would  very  surely  recall  him  and  beseech 
his  blessing  once  more. 

Away  with  such  a  monarch  !  Down  with  the  feeble 
reed  who  sat  on  the  throne,  down  to  the  very  dust  !  Baie 
had  found  a  fitting  successor  among  the  princes  of  the 
blood  royal,  and  when  the  time  should  come — when  Ruie, 
the  high  priest  of  Anion,  should  cross  the  boundary  of  the 
time  of  life  granted  to  man  by  the  gods,  and  close  his  eyes 
in  death — then  he,  Baie  himself,  would  fill  his  place  ;  a  new 
life  should  begin  for  Egypt,  and  Moses  and  his  tribes  were 
doomed. 

As  the  prophet  thus  meditated  a  pair  of  ravens  fluttered 
around  his  head,  and  then,  croaking  loudly,  alighted  on  the 
dusky  ruins  of  one  of  the  wrecked  tenements.  His  eye 
involuntarily  followed  their  flight  and  perceived  that  they 
had  settled  on  the  body  of  a  dead  Hebrew,  half  buried  in 
rubbish  ;  and  again  a  smile  stole  over  his  cunning,  defiant 
features,  a  smile  which  the  inferior  priests  who  stood  about 
his  litter  could  by  no  means  interpret. 


JOSHUA. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Hornecht,  captain  of  the  bowmen,  had  by  this  time  joined 
company  with  the  prophet.  He  was,  indeed,  in  his  con- 
fidence, for  the  warrior  likewise  was  one  of  the  men  of  high 
rank  who  had  conspired  to  overthrow  the  reigning  Pharaoh. 

As  they  approached  the  ruined  dwelling  of  Nun  the 
priest  pointed  to  the  heap  of  destruction  and  said  :  "  The 
man  to  whom  this  once  belonged  is  the  only  Hebrew  I 
fain  would  spare.  He  was  a  man  of  worth,  and  his  son 
Joshua " 

"  He  will  be  true  to  us,"  interrupted  the  captain.  "  Few 
better  men  serve  in  the  ranks  of  Pharaoh's  armies,  and," 
he  added,  in  a  lower  voice,  <(  I  count  on  him  in  the  day  of 
deliverance." 

"  Of  that  we  will  speak  before  fewer  witnesses,"  replied 
the  other.  "  But  I  owe  him  a  special  debt  of  gratitude. 
During  the  Libyan  war — you  know  of  it — I  was  betrayed 
into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  and  Joshua,  with  his  handful 
of  men,  cut  me  a  way  of  escape  from  the  wild  robbers." 
Then,  dropping  his  voice,  he  went  on  in  his  didactic  man- 
ner, as  though  he  were  making  excuse  for  the  mischief 
before  them.  "  Such  is  life  here  below  !  When  a  whole 
race  of  men  incurs  punishment,  the  evil  falls  on  the  guilt- 
less with  the  guilty.  Not  even  the  gods  can  in  such  a  case 
divide  the  individual  from  the  mob  ;  the  visitation  falls 
even  on  the  innocent  beasts.  Look  at  that  flock  of 
pigeons  hovering  over  the  ruins  ;  they  seek  the  dovecote 
in  vain.  And  that  cat  with  her  kittens  !  Go,  Bekie,  and 
rescue  them ;  it  is  our  duty  to  preserve  the  sacred  animals 
from  starving  to  death." 

And  this  man,  who  had  contemplated  the  destruction  of 
so  many  of  his  fellow-creatures  with  barbarous  joy,  took 
the  kindly  care  of  the  unreasoning  brutes  so  much  to  heart 
that  he  made  the  bearers  stop,  and  looked  on  while  the 
servants  caught  the  cats.  But  this  was  not  so  quickly 
done  as  he  had  hoped,  for  the  mother  fled  into  the  nearest 
cellar  opening,  and  the  gap  was  so  narrow  as  to  prevent 


JOSHUA.  1 7 

the  men  from  following  her.  However,  the  youngest  of 
them  all,  a  slim  Nubian,  undertook  to  fetch  her  out ;  but 
he  had  hardly  looked  down  into  the  opening  when  he 
started  back  and  cried  to  his  lord  : 

"  A  human  being  is  lying  there,  and  seems  to  be  yet 
alive.  Yes,  he  beckons  with  his  hand.  It  is  a  boy  or  a 
youth,  and  certainly  not  a  slave.  His  hair  is  long  and 
curly,  and  on  his  arm — for  a  sunbeam  falls  straight  in — I 
can  see  a  broad  gold  band." 

"  One  of  the  family  of  Nun,  perhaps,  who  has  been  for- 
gotten," said  the  warrior,  and  Baie  eagerly  added  :  "  It  is 
the  guidance  of  the  gods  !  The  sacred  beasts  have  led  me 
to  the  spot  where  I  may  do  a  service  to  the  man  to  whom 
I  owe  so  much.  Try  and  make  your  way  in,  Bekie,  and 
fetch  the  youth  out." 

The  Nubian,  meanwhile,  had  moved  away  a  stone,  which, 
in  its  fall,  had  partly  closed  the  entrance,  and  in  a  short 
while  he  held  up  to  his  comrades  a  motionless  young  form, 
which  they  lifted  out  into  the  open  air  and  carried  to  a 
well.  There  they  soon  brought  him  back  to  life  with  the 
cool  water. 

As  he  recovered  consciousness  he  rubbed  his  eyes, 
looked  about  him  in  bewilderment  as  though  he  knew  not 
where  he  was,  and  then  his  head  fell  on  his  breast  as  if 
overcome  by  grief  and  horror,  and  it  could  be  seen  that  at 
the  back  of  his  head  the  hair  was  matted  with  dark  patches 
of  dried  blood. 

By  the  prophet's  care  the  wound,  which  was  deep,  from 
a  stone  which  had  fallen  on  the  lad,  was  washed  at  the 
well ;  and  when  it  was  bound  up  he  bid  him  get  into  his 
own  litter,  which  was  screened  from  the  sun. 

The  youth  had  arrived  before  sunrise,  after  a  long  walk 
by  night  from  Pithom,  called  by  the  Hebrews  Succoth,  to 
bring  a  message  to  his  grandfather,  Nun,  but  finding  the 
place  deserted  he  had  lain  down  in  one  of  the  empty  rooms 
to  rest  awhile.  Awakening  at  the  uproar  of  the  infuriated 
Egyptians,  and  hearing  the  curses  on  his  race,  which  rang 
out  on  every  side,  he  had  fled  to  the  cellar,  and  the  falling 
roof,  although  he  had  been  hurt,  had  proved  his  salvation, 
for  the  clouds  of  dust  which  had  hidden  everything  as  it 
crashed  down  had  concealed  him  from  the  sight  of  the 
plunderers. 

The  priest  gazed  at  him  attentively,  and  though  the 


1 8  JOSHUA. 

youth  was  unwashed  and  pale,  with  a  blood-stained  band- 
age around  his  head,  he  could  see  that  the  being  he  had 
restored  to  life  was  a  handsome,  well-grown  lad,  on  the 
verge  of  manhood.  Full  of  eager  sympathy,  he  mollified 
the  stern  gravity  of  his  eye,  and  questioned  him  kindly  as 
to  whence  he  came  and  what  had  brought  him  to  Tanis,  for 
it  was  impossible  to  tell  from  the  youth's  features  even  of 
what  nation  he  might  be.  He  might  easily  have  passed 
himself  off  as  an  Egyptian,  but  he  quite  frankly  owned  that 
he  was  the  grandson  of  Nun.  He  was  eighteen  years  of 
age,  his  name  was  Ephraim,  like  his  ancestor  the  son  of 
Joseph,  and  he  had  come  to  see  his  grandfather.  And  he 
spoke  with  an  accent  of  steadfast  self-respect  and  joy  in 
his  illustrious  descent. 

When  asked  whether  he  had  been  the  bearer  of  a  message 
he  did  not  forthwith  reply,  but  after  collecting  his  thoughts 
he  looked  fearlessly  into  the  prophet's  face  and  answered 
frankly : 

"  Be  you  who  you  may,  I  have  been  taught  to  speak  the 
truth.  You  shall  know,  then,  that  I  have  another  kinsman 
dwelling  in  Tanis — Joshua,  the  son  of  Nun,  who  is  a  captain 
in  Pharaoh's  army,  and  I  have  a  message  for  him." 

"And  you  shall  know,"  replied  the  priest,  "that  it  was 
for  the  sake  of  that  very  Joshua  that  I  lingered  here  and 
bid  my  servants  rescue  you  alive  from  that  ruined  house. 
I  owe  him  thanks  ;  and  although  the  greater  number  of 
your  nation  have  done  deeds  worthy  of  the  heaviest 
punishment,  yet  for  his  noble  sake  you  shall  dwell  among 
us  free  and  unharmed." 

On  this  the  boy  looked  up  at  the  priest  with  a  flash  of 
eager  pride  ;  but  before  he  could  speak,  Baie  went  on  with 
encouraging  friendliness : 

"  I  read  in  your  eyes,  my  boy,  if  I  am  not  mistaken,  that 
you  are  come  to  seek  service  under  your  Uncle  Joshua  in 
Pharaoh's  army.  Your  stature  should  make  you  skillful  in 
handling  weapons,  and  you  certainly  cannot  lack  for 
daring." 

A  smile  of  flattered  vanity  lighted  up  Ephraim's  face, 
and  turning  the  broad  gold  bangle  on  his  arm,  perhaps 
unconsciously,  he  eagerly  replied  : 

"  I  am  brave,  my  lord,  and  have  proved  it  often  in  the 
hunting-field.  But  at  home  there  are  cattle  and  sheep  in 
abundance,  which  I  already  call  my  own,  and  it  seems  to 


JOSHUA.  19 

me  a  better  lot  to  wander  free  and  rule  the  shepherds,  than 
to  do  what  others  bid  me." 

"So,  so,"  replied  the  priest.  "  Well,  Joshua  perhaps 
will  bring  you  to  another  and  a  better  mind.  To  rule  !  a 
noble  goal  indeed  for  a  youth  !  The  pity  is  that  we  who 
have  reached  it  are  but  servants,  the  more  heavily-bur- 
dened in  proportion  to  the  greater  number  of  those  who 
obey  us.  You  understand  me,  captain  ;  and  you,  boy, 
will  understand  me  later,  when  you  have  become  such  a 
palm  tree  as  your  sapling  growth  promises.  But  time 
presses.     Who  sent  you  hither  to  Joshua?  " 

The  youth  again  looked  down  and  hesitated  ;  but  when 
the  prophet  had  broken  in  on  his  silence  by  saying,  "  And 
that  candor  which  you  have  been  taught  ?  "  he  replied 
firmly  and  decidedly  :  "  I  came  to  do  pleasure  to  a  woman 
whom  you  know  not.     Let  that  suffice." 

"  A  woman  ! "  echoed  the  prophet,  and  he  cast  an  in- 
quiring glance  at  Hornecht.  "  When  a  valiant  warrior 
and  a  fair  woman  seek  each  other  the  Hathors  are  wont 
to  intervene  and  use  the  binding  *  cords,  but  it  ill  be- 
seems a  minister  of  the  divinity  to  play  spectator  to  such 
doings,  so  I  inquire  no  further.  Take  this  boy  under  your 
protection,  captain,  and  help  him  to  carry  his  errand  to 
Rosea.     The  only  question  is  whether  he  is  yet  returned.*' 

"  No,"  replied  the  soldier,  "  but  this  very  day  he  and 
10,000  men  are  expected  at  the  armory." 

"  Then  may  the  Hathors,  who  favor  love-messages,  bring 
these  two  to  a  meeting  no  later  than  to-morrow  ! "  cried 
the  priest.  But  the  youth  broke  in  indignantly  :  "  I  bear 
no  love-message  from  one  to  the  other  !  " 

And  the  priest,  who  was  well  pleased  by  his  boldness,  re- 
plied gayly  :  "  I  had  forgotten  that  I  am  speaking  to  a  shep- 
herd-prince." Then  he  added  more  gravely,  "  When  you 
shall  have  found  Joshua  give  him  greeting  from  me,  and 
say  to  him  that  Baie,  the  second  prophet  of  Anion,  whom  lie 
saved  from  the  hand  of  the  Libyans,  believes  that  he  is 
paying  some  part  of  his  debt  by  extending  a  protecting 
hand  over  you,  his  nephew.  You,  bold  youth,  know  not, 
perhaps,  that  you  were  in  other  and  greater  danger  than 
that  from  your  wound.  The  furious  Egyptians  would  no 
more  have  spared  your  life  than  would  the  choking  dust 


*  The  Hathors  were  the  Egyptian  love  godde  sses.     They  are  often 
depicted  with  cords  in  their  hands. 


20  JOSHUA. 

and  falling  houses.  Bear  that  in  mind,  and  tell  Joshua, 
moreover,  from  me,  Baie,  that  I  am  sure  that  as  soon  as 
he  sees  with  his  own  eyes  the  misery  wrought  on  the 
house  of  Pharoah,  to  which  he  has  sworn  allegiance,  and 
with  it  on  this  city  and  on  the  whole  land,  by  the  magic 
arts  of  one  of  your  race,  he  will  cut  himself  off  in  honor 
from  those  cowards.  For  they  have  basely  fled,  after 
slaying  the  best  and  dearest  of  those  among  whom  they 
have  dwelt  in  peace,  whose  protection  they  have  enjoyed, 
and  who  for  long  years  have  given  them  work  and  fed 
them  abundantly.  If  I  know  him  at  all,  as  an  honest  man 
he  will  turn  his  back  on  those  who  have  sinned  thus. 
And  you  may  tell  him  likewise,  that  the  Hebrew  officers  and 
fighting  men  under  the  captainship  of  Aarsu,  the  Syrian, 
have  already  done  so  of  their  own  free  will.  This  day— and 
Joshua  will  have  heard  the  tidings  from  others — they 
offered  sacrifice,  not  only  to  their  own  gods,  Baal  and  Set, 
whom  you,  too,  many  of  you,  were  wont  to  serve  before 
the  vile  magician,  Mcsu,  led  you  astray,  but  also  to  Father 
Anion  and  the  sacred  nine  of  our  eternal  gods.  And  if 
he  will  do  likewise,  he  and  I,  hand  in  hand,  will  rise  to 
great  power — of  that  he  may  be  assured — and  he  is  worthy 
of  it.  The  rest  of  the  debt  of  gratitude  I  still  owe  him  I 
will  find  other  means  of  paying,  which  as  yet  must  remain 
undiscovered.  But  you  may  promise  your  uncle  from 
me  that  I  will  take  care  of  Nun,  his  worthy  father,  when 
the  vengeance  of  the  gods  and  of  Pharaoh  overtakes  the 
other  men  of  your  nation.  Already — tell  him  this  likewise 
— is  the  sword  set,  and  judgment  without  mercy  shall  be 
done  on  them.  Tell  him  to  ask  himself  what  can  fugitive 
shepherds  do  against  the  might  of  that  army  of  which  he 
himself  is  one  of  the  captains  ?  Is  your  father  yet  alive, 
my  son  ?  " 

"  No  ;  he  was  borne  out  long  since,"  replied  Ephraim  in 
a  broken  voice. 

Was  it  that  the  fever  of  his  wound  was  too  much  for 
him  ?  That  the  disgrace  of  belonging  to  a  race  who 
could  do  such  shameful  deeds  overpowered  his  young 
soul?  Or  was  the  youth  true  to  his  people,  and  was  it 
wrath  and  indignation  that  made  his  cheek  turn  pale,  then 
red,  and  stirred  up  such  turmoil  in  his  soul  that  he  could 
hardly  speak  ?  No  matter.  But  it  was  clear  that  he  was 
no  fit  bearer  of  this  message  to  his  uncle,  and  the  priest 


JOSHUA.  i\ 

signed  to  the  captain  to  come  with  him  under  the  shade  of 
a  broad  sycamore  tree.  The  Hebrew  must  at  any  rate  be 
retained  with  the  army  ;  he  laid  his  hand  on  his  friend's 
shoulder,  saying  :  "  You  know  that  it  was  my  wife  who 
won  you  over  to  our  great  scheme.  She  serves  it  better 
and  with  greater  zeal  than  many  a  man,  and  while  I  admire 
your  daughter's  beauty,  she  is  full  of  praises  of  her  win- 
ning charm." 

"And  Kasana  is  to  join  the  conspiracy?"  exclaimed 
the  soldier  in  displeasure. 

'•  Not  as  an  active  partner,  like  my  wife — of  course  not." 

"She  would  hardly  serve  that  end,"  replied  the  other  in 
a  calmer  tone,  f<  for  she  is  like  a  child." 

"  And  yet  she  may  win  over  to  our  cause  a  man  whose 
goodwill  appears  to  be  inestimable." 

"You  mean  Joshua?"  asked  Hornecht,  and  again  his 
brow  grew  black,  while  the  prophet  went  on. 

"  And  if  I  do  ?  Is  he  not  a  noble  Hebrew,  and  can 
you  think  it  unworthy  of  the  daughter  of  a  warrior  of 
valor  to  give  her  hand  to  the  man  who,  if  our  undertaking 
prospers,  will  act  as  chief  captain  over  all  the  troops  of 
the  land  ?  "  0 

"  No,  my  lord,"  cried  the  archer.  "  But  one  of  the 
causes  of  my  wrath  against  Pharaoh,  and  of  my  taking 
part  with  Siptah,  is  that  his  mother  was  not  of  our  nation, 
while  Egyptian  blood  flows  in  Siptah's  veins.  Now,  the 
mother  determines  a  man's  race,  and  Joshua's  mother  was 
a  Hebrew  woman.  I  call  him  my  friend  ;  I  know  how  to 
value  his  merits  ;  Kasana  is  well  inclined  to  him " 

"  And  yet  you  desire  a  greater  son-in-law  ?  "  interrupted 
Baie.  "  How  can  our  difficult  enterprise  prosper  if  those 
who  risk  their  lives  in  it  think  the  very  first  sacrifice  too 
great?  And  your  daughter,  you  say,  is  well  inclined  to 
Joshua." 

•'■'  She  was ;  yes,  truly,"  the  soldier  put  in.  "Yes,  her 
heart  longed  after  him.  But  I  brought  her  to  obedience  ; 
she  became  the  wife  of  another ;  and  now  that  she  is 
a  widow  shall  I  be  the  one  to  offer  her  to  him  whom  I  com- 
pelled her  to  give  up — the  gods  alone  know  how  hardly  ? 
When  was  the  like  ever  heard  of  in  Egypt  ?  " 

"  Whenever  the  men  and  women  by  the  Nile  have  so 
far  mastered  themselves  as  to  submit  to  necessity  in 
opposition   to  their  own  wishes,  for  the  sake  of  a  great 


22  joshva. 

cause,"  replied  the  priest.  "  Think  of  these  things.  We 
shall  meet  again  this  evening — you  know  where.  Mean- 
while will  you  give  hospitality  to  Joshua's  nephew  and 
bespeak  your  fair  daughter's  care,  for  he  seems  to  need  it 
sorely." 

In  fact,  hunger,  thirst,  loss  of  blood  and  a  long  struggle 
against  suffocation  had  broken  Ephraim's  youthful 
strength.  On  the  skirts  of  the  necropolis,  where  litters 
stood  awaiting  the  convenience  of  visitors,  he  was  placed 
in  one  by  himself  and  carried  to  his  destination. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

There  was  mourning  in  the  house  of  Hornecht,  as  in 
every  house  in  the  city.  The  men  had  shaved  their  he^ds 
and  the  women  had  strewn  dust  on  their  foreheads.  The 
captain's  wife  was  long  since  dead,  but  his  daughter  and 
her  women  met  him  with  waving  veils  and  loud  wailing. 
for  their  lord's  brother-in-law  was  bereft  both  of  his  first- 
born son  and  of  his  grandson  ;  and  in  how  many  houses  of 
their  circle  of  friends  had  the  plague  claimed  its  victims. 

However,  the  fainting  youth  demanded  all  the  women's 
care  ;  he  was  washed,  and  the  deep  wound  in  his  head 
was  freshly  bound  up  ;  strong  wine  and  food  were  se4 
before  him,  and  then,  refreshed  and  strengthened,  he 
followed  at  the  bidding  of  his  host's  daughter. 

The  dust-stained  and  exhausted  lad  now  stood  revealed 
as  a  handsome  young  fellow.  His  scented  hair  flowed  in 
long,  waving  locks  from  beneath  the  clean,  white  bandage, 
and  his  elastic,  sunburnt  limbs  were  covered  by  Egyptian 
garments  embroidered  with  gold  out  of  the  wardrobe  of 
the  captain's  deceased  son-in-law.  He  seemed  pleased  to 
see  himself  in  the  handsome  raiment,  from  which  there 
proceeded  a  fragrance  of  spikenard  new  to  his  experience, 
for  his  black  eyes  brightly  lighted  up  his  well-cut  features. 

It  was  long  since  the  captain's  daughter  had  seen  a 
better-favored  youth,  and  she  herself  was  full  of  great  and 
lovely  charm.  After  a  brief  married  life  with  a  man  she 
had  never  loved,  Kasana,  within  a  year,  had  come  back 
a  widow  to  her  father's  house,  where  there  was  now  no 
mistress  ;  and  the  great  wealth  of  which  she  had  become 


JOSHUA.  *3 

possessed  by  her  husband's  death  enabled  her  to  bring 
into  the  warrior's  modest  home  the  splendor  and  luxury 
which  to  her  had  become  a  necessity. 

Her  father,  who  in  many  a  contest  had  proved  himself 
a  man  of  violent  temper,  now  yielded  to  her  will  in  all 
things.  In  past  time  he  had  ruthlessly  asserted  his  own, 
and"  had  forced  her  at  the  age  of  fifteen  into  a  marriage 
with  a  man  much  older  than  herself.  This  he  had  done 
because  he  had  observed  that  Kasana's  young  heart  was 
set  on  Joshua,  the  man  of  war,  and  he  deemed  it  beneath 
him  to  accept  the  Hebrew,  who  at  that  time  held  no  place 
of  honor  in  the  army,  as  a  son-in-law.  An  Egyptian 
could  but  obey  her  father  without  demur  when  he  chose 
her  a  husband,  and  so  Kasana  had  submitted,  though  dur- 
ing the  period  of  her  betrothal  she  shed  so  many  bitter 
tears  that  the  archer-captain  was  glad  indeed  when  she 
had  done  his  bidding  and  given  her  hand  to  the  husband 
of  his  choice. 

But  even  in  her  widowhood  his  daughter's  heart  clung 
to  the  Hebrew  ;  for  when  the  army  was  in  the  field  she 
never  ceased  to  be  anxious,  and  spent  her  days  and  nights 
in  troubled  unrest.  When  tidings  came  from  the  front  she 
asked  only  concerning  Joshua,  and  it  was  to  her  love  for 
him  that  Hornecht,  with  deep  vexation,  ascribed  her 
repeated  rejection  of  suitor  after  suitor.  As  a  widow  she 
had  the  right  to  dispose  of  her  hand,  and  this  gentle  yield- 
ing young  creature  would  amaze  her  father  by  the  abrupt 
decisiveness  with  which  she  made  her  independence  felt, 
not  alone  to  him  and  her  suitors,  but  likewise  to  Prince 
Siptah,  whose  cause  her  father  had  made  his  own. 

This  day  Kasana  expressed  her  satisfaction  at  Joshua's 
home-coming  so  frankly  and  unreservedly,  that  the  hot- 
tempered  man  hastened  out  of  the  house  lest  he  should  be 
led  into  some  ill-considered  act  or  speech.  He  left  the 
care  of  their  young  guest  to  his  daughter  and  her  faithful 
nurse  ;  and  how  delightful  to  the  lad's  sensitive  soul  was 
the  effect  of  the  warrior's  home,  with  its  lofty,  airy  rooms, 
open  colonnades  and  bright,  richly-colored  paintings ;  its 
artistic  vessels  and  ornaments,  soft  couches  and  all-per- 
vading fragrance.  All  this  was  new  and  strange  to  the 
son  of  a  pastoral  patriarch,  accustomed  to  live  within 
the  bare,  grey  walls  of  a  spacious,  but  perfectly  grace- 
less farm  dwelling ;  or#  for   months  at  a  time    in  canvas 


24  JOSHUA. 

tents,  amid  flocks  and  shepherds,  and  more  often  in  the 
open  air  than  under  a  roof  or  shelter.  He  felt  as 
though  by  enchantment  he  had  been  transported  to  some 
higher  and  more  desirable  world,  and  as  though  he  became 
it  well  in  his  splendid  garb,  with  his  oiled  and  per- 
fumed curls  and  freshly-bathed  limbs.  Life,  indeed, 
was  everywhere  fair,  even  out  in  the  fields  among  the 
herds,  or  in  the  cool  of  the  evening  round  the  fire  in 
front  of  the  tent,  where  the  shepherds  sang  songs,  and 
the  hunters  told  talcs  of  adventure,  while  the  stars 
shone  brightly  overhead.  But  hard  and  hated  labor 
had  first  to  be  done.  Here  it  was  a  joy  merely  to 
gaze  and  breathe;  and  when  presently  the  curtain  was 
lifted  and  the  young  widow  greeted  him  kindly  and 
made  him  sit  down  by  her,  now  questioning  him  and 
now  listening  sympathetically  to  his  replies,  he  almost 
fancied  that  he  had  lost  his  senses,  as  he  had  done 
under  the  ruins  in  the  cellar,  and  that  the  sweetest  of 
dreams  was  cheating    him. 

The  feeling  which  now  seemed  to  choke  him,  and  again 
and  again  hindered  his  utterance,  was  surely  the  excess  of 
bliss  poured  down  upon  him  by  great  Astarte,  the  partner 
of  Baal,  of  whom  he  had  heard  many  tales  from  the  Phoe- 
nician traders  who  supplied  the  shepherd  settlers  with 
various  good  things,  and  of  whom  he  was  forbidden  by 
stern  Miriam  ever  to  speak  at  home. 

His  people  had  implanted  in  his  young  soul  a  hatred  of 
the  Egyptians  as  the  oppressors  of  his  race  ;  but  could  they 
be  so  evil,  could  he  abhor  a  nation  among  whom  there  were 
such  beings  to  be  found  as  the  fair  and  gentle  lady  who 
looked  so  softly  and  yet  so  warmly  into  his  eyes  ;  whose 
gaze  set  his  blood  in  such  swift  motion  that  he  could  hardly 
bear  it,  as  he  pressed  his  hand  to  his  heart  to  still  its  wild 
throbbing  ? 

There  she  sat  opposite  to  him,  on  a  stool  covered  with 
a  panther  skin,  and  drew  the  wool  from  the  distaff.  He 
had  taken  her  fancy,  and  she  had  welcomed  him  warmly 
because  he  was  kin  to  the  man  she  had  loved  from  her 
childhood.  She  believed  she  could  trace  a  likeness  in  him 
to  Joshua,  although  the  boy  still  lacked  the  gravity  of  the 
man  to  whom  she  had  given  her  young  heart,  when  and 
how  she  herself  could  not  tell,  for  he  had  never  sued  for 
her  love. 


JOSHUA.  2$ 

A  lotos-flower  was  fastened  into  her  well-arranged  waving 
black  hair,  and  its  stem  lay  in  a  graceful  curve  on  her  bent 
neck,  round  which  hung  a  mass  of  beautiful  curls.  When 
she  raised  her  eyes  to  look  into  his,  it  was  as  though  two 
deep  wells  opened  before  him  to  pour  streams  of  bliss  into 
his  young  breast,  and  that  slender  hand,  which  spun  the 
yarn,  he  had  already  touched  in  greeting  and  held  in  his 
own. 

Presently  she  inquired  of  him  concerning  Joshua  and  the 
woman  who  had  sent  him  a  message — whether  she  were 
young  and  fair,  and  whether  there  were  any  tie  of  love 
between  her  and  his  uncle.  At  this  Ephraim  laughed 
aloud.  For  she  who  had  sent  him  was  so  grave  and  stern 
that  the  mere  idea  of  her  being  capable  of  a  tender  emo- 
tion roused  his  mirth.  As  to  whether  she  were  fair,  he 
had  never  given  it  a  thought. 

The  young  widow  took  this  laughter  as  the  most  wel- 
come reply  she  could  hear,  and  with  a  sigh  of  relief  she  laid 
aside  the  spindle  she  held  and  desired  Ephraim  to  come 
with  her  into  the  garden. 

How  sweet  it  was  with  scent  and  bloom,  how  well 
trimmed  were  the  beds,  the  paths,  the  arbors  and  the 
pool  !  The  only  pleasance  of  his  simple  home  was  a  broad 
courtyard  devoid  of  ornament,  full  of  pens  for  cattle  and 
sheep ;  yet  he  knew  that  some  day  he  would  be  ruler 
over  great  possessions,  for  he  was  the  only  son  and  heir  of 
a  rich  father,  and  his  mother  was  a  daughter  of  the 
wealthy  Nun.  The  serving-men  had  told  him  all  this 
many  a  time,  and  it  vexed  his  soul  to  see  that  his  own 
home  was  little  better  than  the  quarters  for  the  captain's 
slaves,  which  Kasana  pointed  out  to  him. 

As  they  rambled  through  the  garden  she  bid  Ephraim 
help  her  pluck  some  flowers,  and  when  the  basket  which 
he  carried  for  her  was  full,  she  invited  him  to  sit  with  her 
in  an  arbor,  and  lend  a  hand  in  twining  garlands.  These 
were  offerings  to  the  beloved  dead.  Her  uncle  and  a 
favorite  cousin — somewhat  like  Ephraim  himself — had 
been  snatched  away  during  the  past  night  by  the  pesti- 
lence, which  his  folks  had  brought  upon  Tanis. 

And  from  the  street  which  ran  along  the  garden  wall  the 
wailing  of  women  was  incessantly  heard,  as  they  mourned 
over  the  dead  or  bore  a  corpse  to  its  burying;  and,  when 
suddenly  it  rose  louder  and  more  woeful  than  before,  she 


26  JOSHUA* 

gently  reproached  him  for  all  that  the  people  of  Tanis  had 
suffered  for  the  sake  of  the  Hebrews,  and  asked  him  if  he 
could  deny  that  her  nation  had  good  reason  to  hate  a 
race  that  had  brought  such  plagues  upon  it. 

To  this  he  found  it  difficult  to  answer  discreetly,  for  he 
had  been  told  that  it  was  the  God  of  his  people  who  had 
stricken  the  Egyptians,  to  release  His  own  from  oppres- 
sion and  slavery,  and  he  dare  not  deny  or  contemn  his 
own  flesh  and  blood.  So  he  was  silent,  that  he  might 
neither  lie  nor  blaspheme,  but  she  gave  him  no  peace,  and 
at  last  he  made  answer  that  all  which  ended  in  sorrow  was 
repugnant  to  him,  but  that  his  people  had  no  power  over 
health  and  life,  and  that  when  a  Hebrew  was  sick  he  very 
commonly  applied  to  an  Egyptian  leech.  What  had  now- 
come  to  pass  was  no  doubt  the  act  of  the  great  Gcd  of  his 
fathers,  who  was  of  more  might  than  all  other  gods.  He, 
at  any  rate,  was  a  Hebrew,  and  she  might  believe  him 
when  he  assured  her  that  he  was  guiltless  of  the  pestilent.-, 
and  that  he  would  gladly  call  her  uncle  and  cousin  bo,  ..  to 
life  again  if  he  had  it  in  his  power.  Eor  her  sake  he  was 
ready  to  do  anything,  even  the  hardest  task. 

She  smiled  on  him  sweetly  and  said  :  "Poor  boy  !  It  1 
find  a  fault  in  you,  it  is  only  that  you  belong  to  a  race  to 
whom  patience  and  pity  are  alike  unknown.  Alas  !  for 
our  hapless  and  beloved  dead.  They  must  even  be  de- 
prived of  the  songs  of  lamentation  of  those  who  mourn  for 
them  ;  for  the  house  where  they  lie  is  plague-stricken  and 
none  may  enter  there." 

She  dried  her  eyes  and  said  no  more,  but  went  on  winn- 
ing her  garland  ;  but  tear  after  tear  rolled  down  her 
cheeks.  He  knew  not  what  more  to  say,  and  could  only 
hand  her  flowers  and  leaves.  Whenever  her  hand  chanced 
to  touch  his.  the  blood  coursed  hotly  through  his  veins. 
His  head  and  the  wound  began  to  ache  violently,  and  now 
and  then  he  shivered.  He  felt  that  the  fever  was  gaining 
on  him,  as  it  had  once  before,  when  he  had  nearly  lost  his 
life  in  the  red  sickness,  but  he  was  ashamed  to  confess  it, 
and  held  out  against  it. 

When  the  sun  was  getting  low  the  captain  came  .out  into 
the  garden.  He  had  already  seen  Joshua,  and,  although 
he  was  sincerely  glad  to  meet  his  trus'ced  friend  once  mo.c, 
he  had  been  ill  pleased  and  uneasy  that,  before  all  else,  he 
had   made  warm   inquiry  for  his  daughter.     He  did  not 


JOSHUA.  27 

conceal  this  from  Kasana,  but  the  glare  of  his  eyes 
revealed  the  dissatisfaction  with  which  he  greeted  her  from 
the  Hebrew.  Then  he  turned  to  Ephraim,  and  told  him 
that  Joshua  with  his  host  had  halted  outside  the  city  by 
reason  of  the  plague.  They  were  to  pitch  their  tents  with- 
out its  precincts,  between  Tanis  and  the  sea.  They  must 
presently  go  forth  to  the  camp,  and  his  uncle  sent  him 
^vord  that  he  was  to  seek  him  there  in  his  tent. 
'  When  he  saw  the  lad  helping  his  daughter  to  wind  the 
funeral  wreaths  he  smiled,  exclaiming:  "Only  this  morn- 
ing this  young  lordling  longed  to  be  free  and  a  ruler  all 
his  life,  and  now  he  has  entered  your  service,  Kasana. 
Nay,  do  not  blush,  my  young  friend.  And  if  either  your 
mistress  cr  your  uncle  can  prevail  upon  you  to  become 
one  of  us,  and  devote  yourself  to  the  noblest  toil — that  of 
warrior — it  will  be  well  for  you.  Look  at  me  !  For  more 
than  forty  years  have  I  wielded  the  bow,  and  to  this  day 
T  '-eioice  in  my  calling.  I  have  to  obey,  to  be  sure,  but  I 
nave- also  to  command,  and  the  thousands  that  do  my 
Wddfeg  are  not  sheep  and  beasts,  but  brave  men.  Con- 
1:  :■  matter  once  more.  He  would  make  a  splendid 
chief  of  the  bowmen  ;  what  do  you  say,  Kasana?" 

"  Certainly,"  replied  the  lady,  and  she  had  it  in  her 
mind  to  say  more,  but  beyond  the  garden  walk  the  measured 
tread  of  approaching  troops  fell  on  the  ear.  The  bright 
blood  mounted  to  her  cheeks,  her  eyes  glowed  with  a 
^ame  which  startled  Ephraim,  and,  heedless  of  her  father 
her  guest,  she  flew  past  the  pool,  across  the.  avenues  and 
flower  beds,  and  up  a  turf-bank  near  the  wall,  to  gaze  with 
eager  eyes  out  into  the  road  and  on  the  armed  host  that 
presently  came  past. 

Joshua  marched  at  its  head  in  full  armor.  He  turned 
his  grave  face  as  he  came  by  the  captain's  garden,  and 
when  he  saw  Kasana  he  lowered  his  battle-axe  in  friendly 
greeting.  Ephraim  had  followed  with  the  captain,  who 
had  pointed  out  Joshua,  and  said  :  "  A  bright  weapon  like 
that  would  well  become  you,  too,  and  when  the  drum  is 
beating  and  pipe  squeaking,  while  the  standards  ride 
high  overhead,  a  man  marches  as  lightly  as  though  he  had 
wings.  To-day  the  martial  music  is  silenced  by  reason  of 
the  dreadful  grief  that  the  malignant  Hebrew  has  brought 
upon  us.  Joshua,  indeed,  is  of  his  race  ;  yet,  little  as  I  can 
overlook  that  fact,  I  must  confess  that  he  is  a  thorough 


28  JOSH  I  \  I 

soldier  and  a  model  for  the  younger  generation.  Only  teli 
him  what  I  think  of  him  in  this  respect.  Now,  bid  fare- 
well at  once  to  Kasana,  and  follow  the  troops  ;  the  little 
side  gate  in  the  wall  is  open." 

As  he  spoke  he  turned  to  go  back  into  the  house,  and 
Ephraim  held  out  his  hand  to  bid  the  young  woman  fare- 
well. She  gave  him  hers,  but  instantly  withdrew  it,  saying  : 
"  How  hot  your  hands.     You  are  in  a  fever  !  " 

"  Nay,  nay,"  murmured  the  boy  ;  but  even  as  he  spoke 
he  dropped  on  his  knees,  and  a  cloud  came  over  the  suffer- 
ing lad's  soul,  hunted  as  it  had  been  from  one  emotion  to 
another. 

Kasana  was  startled,  but  she  at  once  recovered  her  pre- 
sence of  mind  and  proceeded  to  cool  his  brow  and  the  top 
of  his  head  with  water  out  of  the  adjacent  pool.  And  as 
she  did  so  she  looked  anxiously  in  his  face,  and  never  had 
his  likeness  to  Joshua  struck  her  so  vividly.  Yes,  the  man 
she  loved  must  have  exactly  resembled  this  youth  when  he 
himself  was  a  boy.  Her  heart  beat  faster,  and  as  she  sup- 
ported his  head  in  her  hands  she  softly  kissed  him. 

She  thought  he  was  unconscious,  but  the  refreshing 
moisture  had  recovered  him  from  his  brief  swoon,  and  he 
felt  the  touch  with  a  sweet  thrill,  but  kept  his  eyes  shut, 
and  would  have  lain  thus  for  a  lifetime,  with  his  head  on 
her  bosom,  in  the  hope  that  her  lips  might  once  more  meet 
his.  Instead  of  kissing  him  again  she  called  loudly  for  help. 
At  this  he  roused  himself,  gave  one  more  passionate,  fervid 
look  into  herface,  and  before  she  could  stop  him,  fled  like 
a  strong  man  to  the  garden  door,  pushed  it  open  and  was 
gone  after  the  host.  He  caught  up  the  rear,  soon  over- 
took the  others,  and  at  last,  finding  himself  by  the  captain's 
side,  he  called  to  his  uncle  and  announced  himself  by  name. 
At  this  Joshua,  in  joy  and  surprise,  held  out  his  arms  ;  but 
almost  before  Ephraim  could  fall  upon  his  neck  he  again 
lost  consciousness,  and  strong  soldiers  carried  the  lad  into 
the  tent  which  the  quarter-master  had  already  pitched  on 
a  sandhill  by  the  lake. 


JOSHUA. 


CHAPTER  V. 

It  was  midnight.  A  fire  burned  before  Joshua's  tent  and 
he  sat  alone  beside  it,  gazing  sadly  and  thoughtfully  first 
into  the  flames  and  then  out  into  the  distance.  The  lad 
Ephraim  was  lying  inside  the  tent  on  his  uncle's  camp 
bed. 

The  leech  who  accompanied  the  troops  had  dre~scd  the 
youth's  wound,  and  having  given  him  a  strengthening 
draught  bade  him  remain  quiet,  for  he  was  alarmed  at  the 
high  fever  that  had  fallen  on  him. 

But  Ephraim  found  not  the  rest  the  physician  had  ad- 
vised. The  image  of  Kasana  now  rose  before  his  imagin- 
ation and  added  fire  to  his  already  overheated  blood. 
Then  his  thoughts  flew  to  the  advice  that  he  should  become 
a  warrior  like  his  uncle  ;  and  it  seemed  to  him  reasonable, 
because  it  promised  him  glory  and  honor,  as  he  would 
fain  persuade  himself,  though  in  truth  he  desired  to  folk  w 
it  because  it  would  bring  him  nearer  to  her  whom  his  soul 
longed  for. 

Then  again  his  pride  rebelled  when  he  thought  of  the 
insult  with  which  she  and  her  father  had  branded  those  to 
whom  he  belonged  by  blood  and  sympathy.  He  clinched 
his  fist  as  he  remembered  the  ruined  house  of  his  grand- 
father, whom  he  had  always  considered  the  worthiest  of 
men.  Nor  had  he  forgotten  his  message.  Miriam  had 
said  it  over  to  him  several  times,  and  his  clear  memory 
held  it  word  for  word  \  also  at  intervals  he  had  repeated 
it  over  to  himself  as  ht  wandered  on  the  lonely  way  to 
Tanis.  Now  he  endeavored  to  do  so  again,  but  before 
he  could  get  to  the  end,  his  mind  carried  him  back  to 
thoughts  of  Kasana.  The  doctor  had  ordered  Joshua  to 
forbid  any  talking,  so  when  the  patient  tried  to  deliver 
his  message  he  bade  him  be  silent.  Then  the  soldier 
smoothed  his  pillow  as  gently  as  a  mother  might,  gave  him 
his  medicine,  and  kissed  him  on  the  brow. 

At  last  he  sat  down  by  the  fire  in  front  of  the  tent,  and 
only  rose  to  give  the  youth  a  drink  when  the  stars  showed 
him  that  an  hour  had  passed. 


30  JOSHUA. 

The  flames  lighted  up  Joshua's  somewhat  dark  features, 
.iiid  showed  them  to  be  those  of  a  man  who  had  faced 
many  dangers,  and  had  vanquished  them  by  stern  perse- 
verance and  prudent  forethought.  His  black  eyes  wore 
a  domineering  expression,  and  his  full,  tightly-closed 
mouth  gave  evidence  of  a  hot  temper,  but  even  more  of 
the  iron  will  of  a  determined  man.  His  broad-shouldered 
frame  leaned  against  a  sheaf  of  spears  set  crossing  each 
other  in  the  ground,  and  when  he  drew  his  powerful  hand 
through  his  thick  black  hair,  or  stroked  his  dark  beard 
while  his  eyes  lighted  up  with  wrath,  it  was  plain  that  his 
soul  was  seething,  and  that  he  stood  on  the  threshold  of 
some  great  resolve. 

As  \et  the  lion  rests,  but  when  he  springs  up  his  enemies 
must  beware. 

His  soldiers  had  often  compared  their  bold,  strong- 
willed  leader,  with  his  mane-like  hair,  to  the  king  of  beasts  ; 
and  now  as  he  shook  his  fist,  and  at  the  same  time  the 
muscles  of  his  brown  arm  swelled  as  though  they  would 
burst  the  gold  bands  that  surrounded  them,  bright  flames 
flashed  from  his  eyes  and  he  was  an  unapproachable  and 
awesome  presence. 

Out  there  in  the  west,  whither  he  turned  his  gaze,  lay 
the  city  of  the  dead  and  the  ruined  strangers'  quarters.  A 
few  hours  before,  he  had  led  his  troops  past  his  father's 
dismantled  house  and  on  through  the  deserted  town,  round 
which  the  ravens  were  flying. 

In  silence,  for  he  was  still  on  duty,  he  had  passed  it  by, 
and  it  was  not  until  they  had  halted,  that  quarters   might 

found  for  his  troops,  that  he  learned  the  events  of  the 
past  night  from  Hornecht,  the  captain  of  the  archers. 
He  had  listened  in  silence  and  without  moving  a  muscle 
or  asking  one  word  of  further  information,  and  meanwhile 
the  soldiers  had  pitched  their  tents  ;  but  scarcely  had  he 
gone  to  rest  when  a  iame  girl,  in  spite  of  the  threats  of  the 
watch,  forced  her  way  in  and  besought  him,  in  the  name 
of  Eliab,  one  of  the  oldest  slaves  of  his  house,  whose 
granddaughter  she  was,  to  go  with  her  to  the  old  man.  He 
had  been  left  behind,  as  feebleness  and  ill-health  prevented 
hi-  wandering,  and  directly  after  the  departure  of  his 
people  he  and  his  wife  had  been  brought  on  an  ass  to  the 
little  cottage  by  the  harbor  which  had  been  given  to  the 
old  servant  by  his  generous  master. 


JOSHUA.  31 

The  girl,  too,  had  been  left  to  look  after  the  infirm 
couple,  and  now  the  heart  of  the  old  slave  was  longing  to 
see  once  more  the  first-born  of  his  lord,  whom  as  a  child 
he  had  carried  in  his  arms.  He  had  bidden  the  girl  tell 
the  captain  that  his  father  had  promised  that  he,  Joshua, 
would  leave  the  Egyptians  and  follow  his  people.  The 
people  of  Ephraim,  yea,  the  whole  race,  had  heard  the 
news  with  great  rejoicing.  The  grandfather  would  give 
him  more  news,  for  she  herself  had  been  nearly  out  of  her 
mind  with  trouble  and  anxiety.  He  would  deserve  the 
richest  blessings  if  he  would  only  go  with  her. 

The  warrior  perceived  from  the  first  that  he  must  fulfil 
this  wish,  but  he  had  postponed  the  visit  to  the  old  man 
until  the  next  morning.  The  messenger,  though  in  haste, 
managed  to  inform  him  of  several  things  that  she  had  seen 
or  heard  of  from  others. 

At  last  she  was  gone.  He  made  up  the  fire,  and  as 
long  as  the  flames  blazed  brightly  he  looked  with  a  dark 
and  thoughtful  gaze  toward  the  west.  It  was  not  till  they 
had  consumed  the  fuel,  whose  flame  flickered  feeble  and 
blue  over  the  charred  wood,  that  he  fixed  his  eyes  on  the 
embers  and  the  flying  sparks,  and  the  longer  he  did  so  the 
deeper  and  more  insurmountable  did  he  feel  the  discord 
in  his  soul,  which  only  yesterday  had  been  set  on  a  single 
glorious  man. 

For  a  year  and  a  half  he  had  been  far  from  home  fighting 
against  Libyan  rebels,  and  for  fully  ten  months  he  had  not 
heard  a  word  from  his  people.  A  few  weeks  since  he  had 
been  ordered  home ;  his  heart  beat  with  joy  and  hopeful- 
ness, and  he,  a  man  of  thirty,  had  felt  a  boy  again  as  he 
drew  nearer  and  nearer  to  Tanis,  the  city  of  Rameses, 
famed  for  its  obelisks. 

In  a  few  hours  he  would  once  more  behold  his  beloved 
and  worthy  father,  who  had  only  after  deep  consideration 
and  discussion  with  his  mother — now  long  since  departed 
in  peace — allowed  him  to  follow  his  own  inclinations  and 
devote  himself  to  military  service  and  Pharaoh's  army.: 
This  very  day  he  had  hoped  to  surprise  him  with  the  news 
that  he  had  been  promoted  above  other  and  older  captains 
of  Egyptian  race. 

The  neglect  which  Nun  had  feared  for  his  son  had, 
through  the  power  of  his  presence,  his  valor,  and,  as  he 
modestly  added,  his  good  luck,  been  turned   to  advance- 


32  JOSHUA. 

ment  ;  and  yet  he  had  not  ceased  to  be  a  Hebrew.  When 
'k  had  felt  the  need  of  acknowledging  a  god  with  sacrifice 
and  prayer,  he  had  worshiped  Set,  into  whose  sanctuary 
his  own  father  had  led  him  as  a  child,  and  whom,  at  that 
tinn.  all  die  Semitic  race  in  Goshen  had  worshiped.  For 
him,  however,  there  was  another  god,  and  this  was  not  the 
Ci'd  of  his  fathers,  but  the  god  who  was  confessed  by  all 
those  Egyptians  who  had  received  initiation,  though  he 
remained  hidden  from  the  common  people,  who  were  not 
able  to  comprehend  him.  It  was  not  only  the  adepts  that 
knew  him,  but  also  most  of  those  who  were  placed  in  the 
service  of  the  state  and  in  the  army — whether  they  were 
ministers  of  the  divinity  or  not.  Every  one,  however, 
knew  what  was  meant  when  they  spoke  simply  of  "  The 
God,"  the  "Sum  of  All,"  the  "  Creator  of  Himself,"  or  of 
the  "  Great  One."  Hymns  praised  him,  epitaphs  which 
every  one  could  read  spoke  of  him,  the  only  god,  who 
revealed  himself  in  the  world,  who  was  co-existent  and 
co-equal  with  the  universe,  immanent  in  all  creation,  not 
merely  as  life  exists  in  the  body  of  man,  but  as  being  him- 
self the  sum  total  of  created  things,  the  universe  itself  in 
its  perennial  growth,  decay  and  resurrection,  himself 
obeying  the  laws  he  had  laid  down.  His  essence,  dwelling 
in  every  part  of  himself,  dwelt  likewise  in  man;  and,  look 
where  he  might,  a  mortal  could  perceive  the  presence  and 
action  of  the  One.  Without  him  nothing  could  be  con- 
ceived  of,  and  thus  he  was  one — like  the  God  of  his  fathers. 
Without  him  nothing  could  come  into  being  nor  any  event 
happen  on  earth.  Thus,  like  the  God  of  Israel,  he  was 
almighty.  Joshua  had  long  been  wont  to  think  of  these 
gods  as  essentially  the  same,  and  differing  only  in  name. 
He  who  worshiped  the  one  he  deemed  was  the  servant  of 
the  other ;  and  so  the  captain  of  the  host  could,  with  a 
clear  conscience,  have  stood  before  his  parent  and  have 
told  him  that  he  had  been  as  faithful  to  the  God  of  his 
people  as  he  had  been,  as  a  warrior,  in  the  service  of  the 
king. 

And  there  was  something  else  which  had  made  his  heart 
beat  faster  and  more  gladly  as  he  saw  from  afar  the  pylons 
and  obelisks  of  Tanis,  for  in  his  endless  marches  across 
the  silent  desert  and  in  many  a  lonely  camp-tent  the  image 
had  haunted  his  vision  of  a  maiden  of  his  own  people, 
whom  he  had  first  known    as  a  strange  child   stirred  by 


JOSHUA.  33 

wondrous  thoughts,  and  whom  he  had  seen  again  as  a 
woman  grown,  unapproachable  in  her  dignity  and  severe 
beauty,  not  long  before  he  had  last  led  his  host  to  the 
Libyan  war.  She  had  come  from  Succoth  to  Tanis  to  his 
mother's  burial ;  her  image  had  been  deeply  stamped  on 
his  heart,  and  his — he  dared  to  hope — on  hers.  She  had 
now  become  a  prophetess,  hearing  the  voice  of  God.  While 
other  daughters  of  Israel  were  strictly  secluded,  she  had 
asserted  her  freedom,  even  among  men  and  in  spite  of  her 
hatred  for  the  Egyptians,  and  for  his  place  among  them, 
she  had  not  concealed  from  Joshua  that  to  part  from  him 
was  grief,  and  that  she  would  never  cease  to  think  of  him, 
His  wife,  when  he  should  wed,  must  be  as  strong  and  grave 
as  himself,  and  Miriam  was  both,  and  cast  another  and 
brighter  image,  of  which  he  once  had  loved  to  dream, 
quite  into  the  shade. 

He  was  fond  of  children,  and  a  sweeter  child  than 
Kasana  he  had  never  seen,  either  in  Egypt  or  in  distant 
lands.  The  sympathy  with  which  this  fair  daughter  of  his 
comrade-in-arms  had  watched  his  achievements  and  his 
fortunes,  and  the  modest,  tender  affection  which  the  much- 
courted  young  widow  had  since  shown  him,  had  brought 
him  much  joy  in  times  of  peace.  Before  her  marriage  he 
had  thought  of  her  as  growing  up  to  be  his  wife  ;  but  her 
union  with  another  and  her  father's  repeated  declarations 
that  he  would  never  give  his  daughter  to  wife  to  a  foreigner, 
had  wounded  his  pride  and  cooled  his  ardor.  Then  he 
had  met  Miriam,  and  she  had  inspired  him  with  a  fervent 
desire  to  call  her  his  own.  And  yet,  though  as  he  marched 
homeward  the  thought  of  seeing  Kasana  once  more  had 
been  pleasing  to  him,  he  was  well  content  that  he  no  longer 
wished  to  marry  her,  for  it  must  have  led  to  much  vexation. 
The  Egyptians  and  Hebrews  alike  deemed  it  an  abomina- 
tion to  eat  at  each  other's  table,  or  to  use  the  same  seats 
or  knives,  and  though  as  a  fellow  soldier  he  was  accepted 
as  one  of  themselves,  and  had  often  heard  the  young 
widow's  father  speak  kindly  of  his  people,  still  "  the 
strangers  "  were  hateful  in  the  sight  of  Hornecht  and  his 
household. 

In  Miriam  he  had  found  the  noblest  helpmate.  Would 
that  Kasana  might  make  another  happy.  Henceforth  she 
could  be  no  more  to  him  than  a  delightful  child,  from  whorA, 
we  look  for  nothing  but  the  pleasure  of  her  sweet  presence, 

2 


34  yosniA. 

He  had  learned  to  ask  nothing  of  her  beyond  a  glad  smile, 
always  at  his  service.  Of  Miriam  he  demanded  herself, 
in  all  her  lofty  beauty,  for  he  had  long  enough  endured 
the  loneliness  of  a  camp  life,  and  now  that  no  mother's 
arms  were  open  to  the  home-comer,  he  felt  the  emptiness 
of  his  single  state.  He  longed  once  more  to  feel  glad  in 
times  of  peace,  when  he  laid  down  his  arms  after  perils 
and  privations  of  every  kind.  It  was  his  duty  to  take  a 
wife  home  to  dwell  under  his  father's  roof,  and  to  provide 
that  the  noble  race  of  which  he  was  the  only  male 
descendant  should  not  die  out.  Ephraim  was  only  his 
sister's  son. 

His  heart  uplifted  with  such  glad  thoughts  as  these,  he 
had  come  back  to  Tanis,  and  had  almost  reached  the  goal 
of  his  hopes  and  wishes,  when  behold  !  there  lay  before 
him,  as  it  were,  a  field  of  corn  destroyed  by  hail  and  swarms 
of  locusts. 

And,  as  though  in  mockery,  fate  brought  him  first  to  what 
had  been  the  home  of  his  fathers.  Where  the  house  had 
once  stood  in  which  he  had  grown  up,  and  for  which  his 
heart  had  longed,  there  lay  a  dust-heap  of  ruins.  Where 
those  near  and  dear  to  him  had  proudly  watched  him  depart, 
beggars  were  searching  for  booty  in  the  rubbish. 

Kasana's  father  was  the  first  to  hold  out  a  hand  to  him 
in  Tanis,  and  instead  of  a  glance  of  kindly  welcome  he  had 
from  him  nothing  but  a  tale  of  woe  that  had  cut  him  to  the 
heart.  He  had  dreamed  of  fetching  home  a  wife,  and  the 
house  in  which  she  should  have  been  mistress  was  level  with 
the  earth.  The  father  whose  blessing  he  craved,  and  who 
was  to  have  rejoiced  over  his  promotion,  was  by  this  time 
far  away,  and  the  foe  henceforth  of  the  sovereign  to  whom 
he  himself  owed  his  elevation. 

It  had  been  a  proud  thought  that,  in  spite  of  his  birth, 
he  had  risen  to  power  and  dignity,  and  that  now,  as  the 
leader  of  a  great  army,  he  might  indeed  show  of  what  great 
deeds  he  was  capable.  There  was  no  lack  of  schemes  in 
his  fertile  brain,  plans  which,  if  they  had  been  ratified  by 
the  authorities,  might  have  led  to  good  issues  ;  and  now 
he  was  in  a  position  to  carry  them  out  at  his  own  pleasure, 
and  he  himself  the  motive  power  instead  of  the  tool.  All 
this  had  roused  a  delightful  exultation  in  his  breast,  aiid 
had  lent  wings  to  his  feet  on  the  homeward  march  ;  and 
now,  when  he  had  reached  the  longed-for  goal,  was  to  turn 


JOSHUA.  35 

back,  to  become  the  comrade  of  shepherds  and  masons  ? 
By  birth,  indeed,  he  belonged  to  them  (and  how  hard  a 
fortune  did  that  at  this  moment  seem),  though  there  was 
no  denying  that  they  were  now  as  alien  to  him  as  the 
Libyans  against  whom  he  had  taken  the  field.  On  almost 
every  point  for  which  he  cared  he  had  nothing  whatever  in 
common  with  them.  To  his  father's  question  as  to  whether 
he  had  returned  still  a  Hebrew,  he  had  believed  he  might 
truly  answer,  yes  ;  but  now  he  felt  that  it  would  be  against 
his  will,  a  less  than  half-hearted  adhesion. 

His  soul  clung  to  the  standards  under  which  he  had 
marched  to  battle,  and  which  he  now  might  himself  lead  to 
victory.  Was  it  possible  to  tear  himself  from  them,  and 
forfeit  all  he  had  won  by  his  own  merit?  But  had  he  not 
heard  from  the  grandchild  of  his  old  slave,  Eliab,  that  his 
people  expected  him  to  quit  the  army  and  follow  them  ? 
A  messenger  must  ere  long  arrive  from  his  father. — and 
among  the  Hebrews  a  son  might  not  resist  a  parent's  com- 
mand. 

Yet  there  was  another  to  whom  he  owed  strict  obedience 
— Pharaoh,  to  whom  he  had  sworn  that  he  would  serve  him 
faithfully  and  follow  his  call  without  hesitation  or  reflection 
through  fire  and  water,  by  night  or  day.  How  many  a 
time  had  he  stigmatized  a  soldier  who  should  go  over  to 
the  foe  or  rebel  against  the  orders  of  his  chief  as  a  wretch 
devoid  of  honor,  and  many  a  one  who  had  deserted  from 
his  standard  had  perished  shamefully  on  the  gallows  under 
his  own  eye.  And  should  he  now  commit  the  crime  for 
which  he  had  scorned  others  or  done  them  to  death.  He 
was  known  for  his  swift- decisiveness  throughout  the  array, 
for  even  in  the  greatest  straits  he  could  arrive  at  the  right 
determination  and  reduce  it  to  action  ;  but  in  this  dark  and 
lonely  hour  he  seemed  to  himself  as  a  bending  reed,  as 
helpless  as  a  deserted  orphan. 

A  gnawing  rage  against  himself  possessed  him  wholly, 
and  when  he  presently  thrust  his  spearhead  into  the  fire,  so 
that  the  glowing  brands  fell  in  and  the  sparks  danced 
brightly  up  into  the  night,  it  was  fury  at  his  own  vacillating 
min  1  that  spurred  his  hand. 

If  t.ij  events  of  the  past  night  had  called  him  to  the 
manly  task  of  revenge,  all  hesitation  and  doubt  would  have 
vanished,  and  his  father's  call  would  have  determined  him  to 
act ;  but  who  had  here  been  the  victims  of  ill-usage?     Be 


36  JOStlUA. 

yond  doubt  the  Egyptians,  who  had  been  bereft  by  Moses' 
curse  of  thousands  of  precious  lives,  while  his  people  had 
escaped  their  vengeance  by  flight.  To  find  the  home  of 
his  fathers  destroyed  by  the  Egyptians  had,  indeed,  roused 
his  wrath ;  but  he  saw  no  just  cause  for  a  bloody  revenge 
when  lie  reflected  on  the  unutterable  woe  which  had  come 
upon  Pharaoh  and  his  subjects  through  the  Hebrews. 

No.  He  had  no  revenge  to  take  ;  he  could  only  look 
upon  himself  as  one  who  sees  his  father  and  mother  in 
danger  of  their  lives,  and  knows  that  he  cannot  save  both, 
but  if  he  risks  his  own  life  to  rescue  one  the  other  must 
certainly  perish.  If  he  obeyed  the  call  of  his  people  honor 
was  lost — that  honor  which  he  had  kept  as  bright  as  the 
brass  of  his  helmet — and  with  it  all  he  most  hoped  for 
in  life ;  if  he  remained  faithful  to  Pharaoh  he  was  betray- 
ing his  own  blood,  his  father's  curse  would  darken  the  light 
of  all  his  days,  and  he  must  renounce  all  his  fairest  dreams 
for  the  future  ;  for  Miriam  was  a  true  daughter  of  her  race, 
and  woe  to  him  if  her  lofty  soul  could  hate  as  bitterly  as  it 
could  fervently  love. 

Her  image  rose  before  his  mind's  eye,  tall  and  beautiful, 
but  with  a  dark  look  and  warning  mien,  as  he  sat  gazing 
across  the  dying  fire  out  into  the  night;  and  his  manly 
pride  surged  up,  and  it  seemed  to  him  a  mean  thing  to 
throw  away  everything  that  is  dear  to  the  warrior's  heart 
for  fear  of  a  woman's  wrath  and  blame. 

"  No,  no,"  he  murmured  to  himself,  and  the  scale  which 
held  duty,  and  love,  and  filial  obedience,  and  the  ties  of 
blood,  suddenly  kicked  the  beam.  He  was  what  he  was 
— the  captain  of  ten  thousand  in  the  king's  army.  He  had 
sworn  allegiance  to  him  and  to  none  other.  His  people  ! 
Let  them  run  away  if  they  chose  from  the  Egyptians'  yoke  ! 
He,  Joshua,  scorned  flight.  Bondage  had  lain  heavy  on 
him  j  but  as  for  him,  the  mightiest  in  the  land  had  treated 
him  as  their  equal  and  held  him  worthy  of  honor.  To 
repay  their  goodwill  with  treason  and  desertion  went 
against  him,  and  with  a  deep  sigh  he  started  to  his  feet, 
feeling  as  though  he  had  chosen  rightly.  A  woman  and  a 
weak  desire  for  love  to  fill  his  heart  should  never  lead  him 
to  be  false  to  grave  duty  and  the  highest  aims  of  his  exist- 
ence. 

"  I  remain,"  cried  a  loud  voice  in  his  breast.  "  My 
father  is  wise  and  kind,  and  when  he  hears  my  reasons  he 


JOSHUA.  37 

will  approve  them,  and  instead  of  cursing  he  will  bless  me. 
I  will  write  to  him,  and  the  boy  that  Miriam  sent  to  me 
shall  be  my  messenger." 

A  cry  from  the  tent  made  him  start  ;  looking  at  the  stars 
lie  found  he  had  neglected  his  duty  toward  the  sick  youth, 
and  went  quickly  to  his  bedside. 

Ephraim  was  sitting  up  expecting  him,  and  cried  to  him  : 
"  I  have  been  wanting  you  a  long  time.  So  much  has 
passed  through  my  mind,  and,  above  all,  the  message  from 
Miriam.  Till  I  have  delivered  it  I  shall  not  find  any  rest, 
so  hear  me  now." 

Joshua  nodded  to  him,  and  after  the  youth  had  taken  the 
healing  draught  that  he  handed  him,  be  began  : 

"  Miriam,  the  daughter  of  Amram  and  Jochebed,  sends 
greeting  to  the  son  of  Nun,  of  the  tribe  of  Ephraim.  Joshua, 
or  the  Helper,  is  thy  name,  and  the  Lord  thy  God  hath 
chosen  thee  to  be  the  helper  of  his  people.  And  hence- 
forth thou  shaltbe  called  Joshua,*  the  Holpen  of  Jehovah. 
For  the  God  of  her  fathers,  who  is  the  God  of  thy  fathers 
also,  hath  spoken  by  Miriam,  His  handmaid,  commanding 
Ihee  to  be  the  shield  and  sword  of  thy  people.  In  Him  is 
all  power,  and  His  promise  is  to  strengthen  thine  arm  that 
He  may  smite  the  enemy." 

The  lad  began  in  a  low  tone,  but  his  voice  gradually  grew 
stronger,  and  the  last  words  rang  out  loud  and  solemn  in 
the  silence  of  the  night. 

Thus  had  Miriam  spoken  to  him,  and  had  laid  her  hands 
on  his  head  and  looked  earnestly  into  his  eyes  with  her 
own,  which  were  as  black  as  the  night,  and  as  Ephraim 
repeated  them  he  had  felt  as  though  some  secret  power 
compelled  him  to  cry  them  aloud  to  Joshua,  as  he  had  heard 
them  from  the  mouth  of  the  prophetess.  Then  he  breathed 
a  sigh  of  relief,  turned  his  face  to  the  white  canvas  wall  of 
the  tent,  and  said  quietly  : 

"  Now  I  will  sleep." 

But  Joshua  laid  his  hand  on  his  shoulder  and  said  in 
commanding  tones  :   "  Say  it  again." 

The  lad  did  his  bidding,  but  this  time  he  repeated  the 
words  unheedingly  and  in  a  low  tone  to  himself.  Then  he 
said  imploringly  :  "  Leave  me  to  rest,"  put  his  hand  under 
his  cheek  and  shut  his  eyes. 


*  More  correctly  Jehoshua. 


38  JOSHUA. 

Joshua  let  him  have  his  own  way.  He  gently  laid  a  fresh 
wet  bandage  over  his  burning  head,  put  out  the  light  and 
cast  more  logs  on  the  dying  fire  outside  ;  but  the  keen, 
resolute  man  did  it  all  as  in  a  dream.  At  last  he  sat  down, 
resting  his  elbows  on  his  knees  and  his  head  on  his  hand, 
with  his  eyes  fixed  on  vacancy  or  gazing  at  the  flames. 

Who  was  this  God  who  called  him  through  Miriam  to  be, 
by  His  aid,  the  sword  and  shield  of  his  people. 

He  was  to  bear  a  new  name,  and  to  the  Egyptians  the 
name  was  the  man.  "  Honor  to  the  name  of  Pharaoh  ! " 
not  "to  Pharaoh,"  was  written  in  every  inscription  and 
document ;  and  if  henceforth  he  was  to  be  called  Joshua, 
this  involved  a  command  to  cast  the  old  man  off  and  to 
become  a  new  man.  This,  which  Miriam  had  declared  to 
him  as  the  will  of  the  God  of  his  fathers,  was  nothing  less 
than  a  bidding  to  cea^e  to  be  an  Egyptian,  as  his  life  had 
made  him,  and  become  a  Hebrew  again,  as  he  had  been  as 
a  boy. 

How  could  he  learn  to  act  and  feel  as  a  Hebrew  ? 

And  Miriam's  message  required  him  to  go  back  to  his 
own  tribe.  The  God  of  his  nation,  through  her,  bid  him 
to  do  what  his  father  expected  of  him.  Instead  of  the 
Egyptian  host,  which  he  must  make  haste  to  forget,  hence- 
forth he  should  lead  the  sons  of  Israel  when  they  went 
forth  to  battle  ;  this  was  the  meaning  of  her  words  ;  and 
when  thathigh-souled  maiden  and  prophetess  declared  that 
it  was  God  Himself  who  spoke  by  her  mouth,  it  was  no 
vain  boast;  she  was  certainly  obeying  the  voice  of  the 
Most  High.  And  now  the  image  of  the  woman  whom  he 
had  dared  to  love  appeared  to  him  as  unapproachably 
sublime  ;  many  things  which  he  had  heard  in  his  childhood 
of  the  God  of  Abraham  and  His  promises,  recurred  to  his 
mind  ;  and  the  scale  which  till  now  had  been  the  heavier 
gradually  rose.  What  had  but  just  now  seemed  firmly 
settled  was  no  longer  sure,  and  once  more  he  stood  face  to 
face  with  the  fearful  abyss  which  he  fancied  he  had  over- 
leaped. 

How  loud  and  mighty  was  the  call  he  had  heard  !  The 
sound  in  his  ears  disturbed  his  clearness  and  peace  of 
mind.  Instead  of  calmly  weighing  the  matter  as  he  had 
done  before,  memories  of  his  boyhood,  which  he  had  fancied 
long  since  buried,  lifted  up  their  voices,  and  disconnected 
flashes  of  thought  confused  his  brain. 


►  JOSHUA.  39 

Sometimes  he  felt  prompted  to  turn  in  prayer  to  the  God 
who  called  him,  but  as  often  as  he  made  the  attempt  he 
remembered  the  oath  he  must  break,  and  the  vast  host  he 
must  leave  behind  him  to  become  the  leader,  no  more  of 
a  well-trained,  brave,  obedient  troop  of  brothers  in  arms, 
but  of  a  miserable  horde  of  cowardly  serfs,  and  wild, 
obstinate  shepherds  accustomed  to  the  rule  of  oppression. 

It  was  three  hours  past  midnight.  The  men  on  guard 
had  been  relieved,  and  he  began  to  think  of  giving  himself 
a  few  hours'  rest.  He  would  think  the  matter  out  again 
by  daylight  with  his  wonted  rational  decisiveness,  which 
now  he  felt  he  could  not  attain  to.  But  as  he  entered  the 
tent,  and  Ephraim's  steady  breathing  fell  on  his  ear,  in 
fancy  he  heard  again  the  lad's  solemn  delivery  of  his  mes- 
sage. It  startled  him,  and  he  was  about  to  repeat  the 
words  to  himself  when  he  heard  a  tumult  among  the  out- 
posts, and  a  vehement  dispute  broke  the  stillness  of  the 
night. 

The  interruption  was  welcome.  He  hurried  out  to 
where  the  guards  were  posted. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Hoglah,  the  granddaughter  of  the  old  slave  Eliab,  had 
come  to  entreat  Joshua  to  go  with  her  forthwith  to  see  her 
grandfather,  whose  strength  had  suddenly  failed  him,  and 
who,  feeling  death  near  at  hand,  could  not  die  without 
seeing  him  and  blessing  him  once  more.  So  the  captain 
bade  her  wait,  and  after  assuring  himself  that  Ephraim 
slept  peacefully,  he  charged  a  man  he  could  trust  to  keep 
watch  over  the  lad,  and  went  with  Hoglah. 

As  she  led  the  way  she  carried  a  small  lantern,  and  when 
the  light  fell  on  the  girl's  face  and  figure,  he  saw  how  ill- 
favored  she  was,  for  slave's  toil  had  bent  the  poor  child's 
back  before  its  time.  Her  voice  had  the  rough  tones 
which  a  woman's  tongue  often  acquires  when  her  strength 
is  too  unsparingly  taxed  ;  but  all  she  said  was  loving  and 
kind.  Joshua  forgot  her  appearance  as  she  told  him  that 
she  had  a  lover  among  the  men  who  had  gone  forth,  but 
that  she  had  remained  behind  with  her  grandparents,  for 
she  could  not  bring  herself  to  leave  the  old  folks  alone ; 


40  JOSHUA. 

that  as  she  was  not  fair  to  look  upon,  no  man  had  coveted 
her  as  his  wife  till  Asser  had  come,  and  he  did  not  look  to 
appearances,  because  he  was  hardworking,  as  she  herself 
was,  and  had  expected  that  she  would  help  to  save  his 
earnings.  I  Ic  would  have  been  willing  to  stay  behind  with 
her,  but  his  father  had  commanded  him  to  set  out  with 
him  ;  so  he  had  no  choice,  but  must  obey  and  part  from 
her  forever. 

The  tale  was  simply  told,  and  in  a  harsh  accent,  but  it 
struck  to  the  heart  of  the  man  who,  for  his  part,  meant  to 
go  his  own  way  in  opposition  to  his  father. 

As  they  presently  came  in  sight  of  the  harbor,  and 
Joshua  looked  down  on  the  quays  and  the  huge  fortified 
storehouses,  built  by  the  hands  of  his  own  people,  he 
thought  once  more  of  the  gangs  of  ragged  laborers  whom 
he  had  so  often  seen  cringing  before  the  Egyptian  overseer, 
or,  again,  fighting  madly  among  themselves.  He  had 
marked,  too,  that  they  did  not  hesitate  to  lie  and  cheat  in 
order  to  escape  their  toil,  and  how  hard  it  was  to  compel 
them  to  obey  and  do  their  duty  ! 

The  more  odious  objects  among  these  hapless  hundreds 
rose  clearly  before  his  mind  ;  and  the  thought  that  perhaps 
his  fate  in  the  future  might  be  to  lead  such  a  wretched 
crew  came  over  him  as  a  disgrace  which  the  humblest  of 
his  subalterns,  the  captain  of  fifty,  would  fain  be  spared. 
There  were,  of  course,  among  the  mercenaries  of  Pharaoh's 
armies  many  Hebrews  who  had  won  a  reputation  for 
courage  and  endurance,  but  they  were  all  the  sons  of 
owners  of  herds,  or  of  men  who  had  been  shepherds.  The 
toiling  multitudes  whose  clay  hovels  could  be  overturned 
with  a  kick  formed  the  greater  mass  of  those  to  whom  he 
was  bidden  to  return. 

Firmly  resolved  to  remain  faithful  to  the  oath  which 
bound  him  to  the  standard  of  the  Egyptian  host,  and  yet 
stirred  to  the  depths  of  his  soul,  he  entered  the  slave's  hut, 
and  his  vexation  was  increased  when  he  found  the  old 
man  sitting  up  and  mixing  some  wine  and  water  with  his 
own  hand.  So  he  had  been  brought  away  from  his 
nephew's  bedside  on  a  false  pretense,  and  deprived  of  his 
own  night's  rest  that  a  slave,  who,  in  his  eyes,  was  scarcely 
a  man  at  all,  should  have  his  way.  Here  he  himself  was 
the  victim  of  a  trick  of  that  cunning  selfishness  which,  in  the 
Egyptians'  eyes,  was  the  reproach  of  his  people,  and  which, 


JOSHUA.  41 

indeed,  did  not  attract  him  to  them.  But  the  wrath  of  the 
clear-sighted  and  upright  man  was  soon  appeased  as  he 
saw  the  girl's  unfeigned  delight  at  her  grandfather's  rapid 
recovery  ;  and  he  then  learned  from  the  aged  wife  that 
Hoglah  had  hardly  set  out  on  her  quest  when  they  remem- 
bered that  they  had  some  wine  in  the  house,  and  after  the 
first  draught  her  husband  got  better  and  better,  though  she 
had  before  thought  he  had  one  foot  already  in  the  grave. 
Now  he  was  mixing  some  more  of  the  blessed  gift  to 
strengthen  himself  with  a  draught  of  it  every  now  and 
then. 

Here  the  old  man  himself  broke  in,  and  said  that  he 
owed  this  and  much  that  was  better  to  the  goodness  of 
Nun,  Joshua's  father  ;  for  besides  this  hut  and  wine  and 
meal  for  bread,  he  had  given  him  a  milch  cow  and  likewise 
an  ass,  on  which  he  could  ride  out  and  take  the  air,  and  he 
had  left  him  his  granddaughter  and  some  silver,  so  that  he 
could  look  forward  with  contentment  to  their  end,  all  the 
more  so  as  they  had  a  patch  of  land  behind  the  house, 
which  Hoglah  would  sow  with  radishes,  onions  and  leeks 
for  their  pottage.  But  best  of  all  was  the  written  deed 
which  made  them  and  the  girl  free  forever.  Aye,  Nun  was 
a  true  lord  and  father  to  his  people  ;  and  his  good  gifts 
had  brought  with  them  the  blessing  of  the  Most  High,  for 
immediately  after  the  departure  of  the  Hebrews,  by  the 
help  of  Asser,  Hoglah's  betrothed,  he  and  his  wife  had 
been  conveyed  hither  without  any  demur  or  difficulty. 

"  We  old  folks,"  the  old  woman  added,  "  will  die  here. 
But  Asser  has  promised  Hoglah  to  come  back  for  her  when 
she  has  done  her  duty  to  her  parents  to  the  very  last." 
And  turning  to  the  girl  she  said  in  an  encouraging  tone : 
"  And  it  cannot  be  for  much  longer  now." 

At  this  Hoglah  began  to  wipe  her  eyes  with  the  skirt  of 
her  blue  gown,  and  cried  :  "  Long,  long  may  it  be  !  I 
am  young.     I  can  wait." 

Joshua  heard  these  words,  and  it  seemed  to  him  as 
though  the  poor,  ill-favored,  deserted  girl  was  giving  him 
a  iesson. 

He  had  let  the  old  folks  talk  on,  but  his  time  was 
precious,  and  he  now  asked  whether  it  was  for  any  special 
cause  that  Eliab  had  sent  for  him. 

"  I  could  not  help  sending,"  was  the  answer,  "  and  not 
only  to  ease  the  longing  of  my  old  heart,  but  because  my 
lord  Nun  had  bidden  me  to  do  so* 


42  JOSHUA. 

"  Great  and  noble  is  thy  manhood,  and  now  art  thou 
become  the  hope  of  Israel  !  Thy  father,  too,  hath  promised 
the  men  and  women  of  his  house  that  after  his  death  thou 
shalt  be  their  lord  and  their  head.  His  speech  was  full  of 
thy  glory,  and  great  was  the  rejoicing  when  he  declared 
that  thou  wouldst  follow  the  departing  tribes.  And  I  am 
he  whom  my  lord  vouchsafed  to  command  that,  if  thou 
shouldst  return  before  his  messenger  could  reach  thee,  I 
was  to  say  that  Nun,  thy  father,  awaited  his  son.  By 
sunrise,  or  at  latest  by  midday,  thy  people  shall  stay  to 
rest  by  Succoth.  He  would  hide  a  writing  in  the  hollow 
syoamore  before  the  house  of  Aminadab,  which  should  tell 
thee  whither  next  they  take  their  way.  His  blessing  and 
the  blessing  of  our  God  be  with  thee  in  the  way  !  " 

As  the  old  man  pronounced  the  last  words  Joshua  bent 
his  head,  as  though  an  invisible  hand  were  inviting  him  to 
kneel.  Then  he  thanked  the  old  man,  and  asked  in  a 
subdued  voice  whether  all  had  been  willing  to  obey  the  call 
to  quit  house  and  home. 

The  old  woman  clasped  her  hands,  exclaiming:  "  No, 
no,  my  lord  ;  by  no  means.  What  a  wailing  and  weeping 
there  was  before  they  departed  !  Many  rebelled,  others 
escaped  or  sought  some  hole  or  corner  in  which  to  hide. 
But  in  vain.  In  the  house  of  our  neighbor,  Deuel — you 
know  him — his  young  wife  had  been  lately  brought  to  bed 
with  a  boy,  her  first-born.  How  could  the  poor  creature 
set  forth  to  wander?  At  first  she  wept  bitterly,  and  her 
husband  blasphemed ;  but  there  was  no  help  for  it.  She 
and  her  infant  were  laid  in  a  cart,  and  as  things  went  for- 
ward they  got  over  it,  he  and  she  both,  like  all  the  rest  ; 
even  Phineas,  who  crept  into  a  pigeon-house  with  his  wife 
and  five  children,  and  even  old  crippled  Graveyard  Ke/iah 
— you  remember  her,  Adonai — she  had  seen  her  father  ..,.i' 
mother  die,  her  husband,  and  then  five  well-grown  sons  : 
everything  the  Lord  had  given  her  to  love,  and  had  laid 
them  one  after  another  in  our  graveyard ;  and  every 
morning  and  evening  she  would  go  to  the  resting  place, 
and  as  she  sat  there  on  a  log  of  wood  which  she  had 
rolled  close  to  the  tombstone  her  lips  would  always  be 
moving ;  but  what  she  muttered  was  not  prayer  ;  no — I 
have  listened  to  her  many  a  time  when  she  did  not  heed 
me — no  ;  she  talked  with  the  dead  as  if  they  could  hear  her 
in  the  tomb,  and  could  understand  her  speech  like  those 


JOSHUA.  43 

who  live  in  the  light  of  the  sun.  She  is  nigh  upon  three- 
score years  old,  and  for  three  times  seven  years  she  has 
been  known  to  the  folk  about  as  Graveyard  Keziah.  It 
was  a  senseless  way  she  had,  but  for  that  very  reason 
perhaps  it  was  doubly  hard  to  her  to  give  it  up ;  and  she 
would  not  go,  but  hid  away  behind  the  shrubs.  When 
Abiezer,  the  head  of  the  house,  dragged  her  forth,  her 
wailing  was  enough  to  make  your  heart  ache.  But  when 
it  came  to  the  last  she  plucked  up  courage  and  could  not 
bear  to  stay  behind  any  more  than  the  rest." 

"  What  had  come  over  the  poor  wretches  ?  What 
possessed  them  ?  "  Joshua  here  broke  in,  interrupting  the 
old  woman's  flow  of  words  ;  for  his  fancy  again  pictured 
the  people  that  he  ought  to,  nay,  that  he  must,  lead,  as 
surely  as  he  held  his  father's  blessing  of  price  above  alj 
else ;  and  he  saw  them  in  all  their  misery.  The  old 
woman  started,  and,  fearing  lest  she  might  have  angered 
the  first-born  son  of  her  master,  this  proud  and  lordly 
warrior,  she  stammered  out  : 

"  What  possessed  them,  my  lord  ?  Aye,  well — I  am  but 
a  poor,  simple  slave-woman ;  but  indeed,  my  lord,  if  you 
had  but  seen  them  also " 

"  Well,  what  then  ? "  cried  the  soldier  roughly  and 
impatiently  ;  for  now,  for  the  first  time  in  his  life,  he  found 
himself  compelled  to  act  against  his  inclinations  and  con- 
victions. 

At  this  the  old  man  tried  to  come  to  his  wife's  rescue, 
saying  timidly  : 

"  Nay,  my  lord,  tongue  cannot  tell  of  it  nor  the  under- 
standing conceive  of  it.  It  came  upon  Israel  from  the 
L'ord,   and   even   if  I  could   describe    how   mightily    He 

worked  in  the  souls  of  the  people " 

brteTry,"  said  Joshua,  "  but  my  time  is  short.  Then  they 
v.ere  forced  to  depart?  It  was  against  their  will  that  they 
took  up  their  staff?  That  they  have  followed  Moses  and 
Aaron  for  some  time  past,  as  sheep  follow  the  shepherd,  is 
known  even  to  the  Egyptians.  And  have  these  men,  who 
brought  down  the  pestilence  on  so  many  innocent  beings, 
worked  a  miracle  to  blind  the  eyes  of  you  and  your  wife 
here?" 

The  old  man  lifted  supplicating  hands  to  the  warrior, 
and  replied,  much  troubled,  in  a  tone  of  humble  entreaty  : 
f(  Oh,  my  lord,  you  are  the  first-born  son  of  my  master,  the 


44  JOSHUA. 

greatest  and  noblest  of  his  house,  and  if  you  will  you  can 
tread  me  in  the  dust  like  a  beetle ;  and  yet  will  I  lift  up  my 
voice  and  say  to  you  they  have  told  you  falsely.  You  have 
been  among  strangers  all  this  year,  while  mighty  signs  have 
been  wrought  upon  us.  You  were  far  from  Zoan*  as  I 
have  heard  when  the  people  went  forth.  For  any  son  of 
our  race  who  had  beheld  this  thing  would  sooner  that  his 
tongue  should  wither  in  his  mouth  than  laugh  to  scorn  the 
mighty  things  which  the  Lord  has  vouchsafed  to  us  to 
behold.  If  you  had  patience,  indeed,  and  could  grant  me 
to  tell  the  story " 

"Speak,"  cried  Joshua,  amazed  at  the  old  man's  fervor; 
and  Eliab  thanked  him  with  a  glowing  look,  and  cried  : 

"Ah  !  would  that  Aaron,  or  Eleazar,  or  my  lord  Nun, 
your  father,  were  here ;  or  that  the  Most  High  would 
grant  me  the  gift  of  their  speech  !  But  as  it  is,  well. 
And,  indeed,  meseems  as  though  I  saw  and  heard  it  all, 
as  though  it  were  all  happening  again  ;  and  yet  how  may  I 
tell  it?     But  by  God's  help  I  will  try." 

He  paused,  and  as  Joshua  saw  that  the  old  man's  lips 
and  hands  trembled,  he  himself  reached  him  the  cup,  and 
the  old  man  thankfully  emptied  it  to  the  bottom.  Then 
he  began  with  half-closed  eyes,  and  his  wrinkled  features 
grew  more  keenly  eager  as  he  proceeded  with  his  tale  : 

"  What  befell  after  that  it  became  known  what  command 
had  come  to  the  people  my  wife  has  already  told  you  ; 
and  we,  too,  were  among  those  who  lost  heart  and  mur- 
mured. But  last  night  we  all  who  were  of  the  house  of 
Nun  were  bidden  to  the  feast — even  the  shepherds  and 
the  slaves  and  the  poor — and  there  we  ate  of  roast  lamb' 
and  fresh  unleavened  bread,  and  had  plenty  of  wine,  more 
than  usual  at  the  harvest  festival  which  begins  on  that 
night,  and  which  you  yourself  have  often  witnessed  as  a 
boy.  There  we  sat  and  enjoyed  ourselves,  and  my  lord, 
your  father,  spoke  words  of  encouragement  and  told  us  of 
the  God  of  our  fathers  and  of  the  great  things  He  had 
done  for  his  people.  Now,  said  he,  it  was  the  Lord's  will 
that  we  should  set  forth  and  depart  out  of  this  land,  where 
we  have  borne  contempt  and  bondage.  This  was  no  such 
sacrifice  as  that  for  which  Abraham  had  sharpened  his 
knife  to  shed  the  blood  of  his  son  Isaac  withal,  at  the  bid- 


•  The  Hebrew  name  for  Tanis. 


JOSHUA.  45 

ding  of  the  Most  High,  although  it  would  fall  hardly  on 
us  to  leave  a  home  grown  dear  to  us,  and  many  an  old 
custom.  Nay,  it  would  at  last  bring  much  happiness  on 
us  all.  For,  cried  he,  we  were  not  to  wander  forth  into 
the  unknown,  but  toward  a  lordly  land  which  God  himself 
had  set  before  us.  He  had  promised  us  a  new  home 
instead  of  this  land  of  bondage,  where  we  should  dwell  as 
free  men  on  fruitful  meadows,  and  fine  rich  pastures  where 
a  man  and  his  household  might  be  fed  and  their  hearts 
made  glad.  Just  as  a  man  must  work  hard  to  earn  his 
wage,  so  were  we  to  endure  a  brief  space  of  privation  and 
sorrow  to  earn  that  beautiful  new  home  for  ourselves  and 
our  children,  as  the  Lord  had  promised.  A  land  of  God 
it  must  surely  be,  since  it  was  the  gift  of  the  Most  High. 

"Thus  he  spoke,  and  thus  he  blessed  us  all;  and  pro- 
mised that  you,  too,  would  shake  the  dust  from  off  your 
feet  and  join  yourself  to  the  people,  and  fight  for  them  with 
a  strong  arm,  as  an  experienced  warrior  and  an  obedient 
son. 

"  Hereupon  we  all  shouted  for  joy,  and  when  we  were 
all  gathered  in  the  market-place  and  found  that  all  the 
bondsmen  had  been  able  to  escape  from  the  overseers  our 
courage  rose.  Then  came  Aaron  into  our  midst  and  stood 
upon  the  salesman's  bench,  and  all  that  my  lord  Nun  had 
spoken  at  the  feast  we  now  heard  from  his  lips,  and  the 
words  he  spoke  sounded  now  like  rolling  thunder  and  now 
like  the  sweet  tones  of  the  lute  ;  and  we  all  knew  that  it 
was  the  Lord  our  God  who  spoke  by  him,  for  he  touched 
the  hearts  even  of  the  rebellious,  so  that  they  murmured 
and  complained  no  more.  And  when  at  last  he  proclaimed 
to  the  multitude  that  no  erring  man,  but  the  Lord  God 
Himself,  would  be  our  Captain  ;  when  he  described  the 
beauty  of  the  promised  land,  whose  gates  he  would  open 
before  us,  and  where  we  should  dwell  as  free  and  happy 
men,  released  from  all  bondage,  owing  no  obedience  to  any 
but  to  the  God  of  our  fathers  and  those  whom  we  may 
choose  for  our  leaders,  it  was  as  though  every  man  there 
was  drunk  with  new  wine,  and  as  if  the  way  that  lay  be- 
fore them,  instead  of  a  barren  track  across  the  desert  into 
the  unknown,  led  to  a  great  feast  spread  for  them  by 
the  Most  High  Himself.  Nay,  and  even  those  who  had 
not  heard  Aaron's  words  were  likewise  filled  with  marvel- 
ous confidence,  and  men  and  women  were  all  more  cheer- 


46  JOSHUA. 

ful  and  noisy  than  their  wont  at  the  harvest  feast,  for  all 
hearts  overflown!  with  pure  thankfulness.  It  even  seized 
the  old  folks.  Old  Elishama,  the  father  of  Nun,  who  is  an 
hundred  years  old,  and,  as  you  know,  has  long  sat  bent  and 
silent  in  his  seat,  rose  up  with  a  light  in  his  eyes  and  spoke 
fiery  words.  The  spirit  of  the  Lord  had  come  upon  him 
as  upon  us  all. 

"  I  felt  myself  quite  young  again  in  body  and  soul ;  and 
as  I  passed  by  the  carts  which  were  made  ready  for  their 
departing  I  saw  Elisheba  with  her  babe  in  a  litter,  and  she 
looked  as  happy  as  on  the  day  of  her  marriage,  and  pressed 
her  infant  to  her  heart  and  blessed  his  lot  in  growing  up  in 
the  promised  land  and  free.  And  her  husband,  Deuel,  who 
had  blasphemed  the  loudest,  swung  his  staff  and  kissed  his 
wife  and  child  with  tears  of  joy  in  his  eyes,  and  shouted 
for  joy  like  a  vintager  at  the  pressing,  when  jars  and  wine 
skins  are  too  small  to  hold  the  blessing.  The  old  woman, 
too,  Graveyard  Keziah,  who  had  torn  herself  away  from 
the  tombs  of  her  race,  sat  with  other  feeble  folk  in  a  char- 
iot, and  waved  her  veil  and  joined  in  the  hymn  of  praise 
which  Elkanah  and  Abiasaph,  the  sons  of  Korah,  had 
begun.  And  thus  they  set  forth.  We  who  were  left 
behind  fell  into  each  other's  arms,  and  knew  not  whether 
the  tears  we  shed  flowed  from  our  eyes  for  grief  or  for 
overjoy  at  seeing  the  multitude  of  those  we  loved  so  glad 
and  full  of  hope.     Thus  it  came  to  pass. 

"  Such  torches  were  carried  in  front  of  the  multitude, 
seeming  to  light  it  up  more  brightly  than  the  great  blaze  of 
lamps  which  the  Egyptians  light  up  at  the  gates  of  the 
temple  to  Neith  ;  and  it  was  not  till  they  were  swallowed  up 
in  the  darkness  that  we  set  forth,  so  as  not  to  keep  Asser  too 
long  behind  the  rest.  As  we  made  our  way  through  the 
night,  the  streets  were  full  of  the  mourning  cry  of  the  citi- 
zens, but  we  sang  softly  the  hymn  of  the  sons  of  Korah, 
and  great  joy  and  peace  fell  upon  us,  for  we  knew  that  the 
Lord  our  God  would  keep  and  lead  His  people." 

Here  the  old  man  ceased,  but  his  wife  and  the  girl,  who 
had  hearkened  to  him  with  eager  eyes,  drew  closer  to  each 
other,  and  without  any  word  between  them  they  both 
together  began  the  hymn  of  praise,  and  the  old  woman's 
thin  voice  mingled  with  pathetic  fervor  with  the  harsh 
tones  of  the  girl,  ennobled  as  they  were  with  lofty  enthu- 
siasm. 


JOSHUA.  47 

Joshua  felt  that  it  would  be  wicked  to  break  in  on  this 
overflow  of  full  hearts,  but  the  old  man  presently  bade 
them  cease  and  looked  up  at  his  master's  first-born  son 
with  anxious  inquiry  in  his  grave  features. 

Had  Joshua  understood? 

Had  he  made  it  plain  to  this  warrior  who  served  Pha- 
raoh how  that  the  Lord  God  Himself  had  ruled  the  souls 
of  His  people  at  their  departing  ? 

Was  he  so  fallen  away  from  his  own  nation  and  their 
God,  so  led  away  by  the  Egyptians,  that  he  would  dare 
to  defy  the  wishes  and  commands  of  his  own  father  ? 

Was  he,  in  whom  they  had  set  the  highest  hopes,  a 
deserter  and  lost  to  his  own  people  ? 

To  these  questions  he  might  have  no  answer  in  words ; 
but  when  Joshua  took  his  horny  old  hand  between  his 
own,  and  shook  it  as  that  of  a  friend  when  he  bade  him 
farewell,  his  eyes  glistening  with  moisture,  and  murmured, 
"  You  shall  hear  of  me  !  "  he  felt  that  this  was  enough,  and 
overcome  by  vehement  joy  he  kissed  the  soldier's  arm  and 
clothing  again  and  again. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Joshua  returned  to  his  tent  with  a  bowed  head.  The 
discord  in  his  soul  was  resolved.  He  knew  now  what 
burthen  he  must  take  up.  His  father  called  him  and  he 
must  obey. 

And  the  God  of  his  people  !  As  he  listened  to  the 
old  man's  tale  all  he  had  heard  of  that  God  in  his 
childhood  now  reawakened  in  his  soul,  and  he  knew  now 
that  He  was  another  than  Set,  the  god  of  the  Asiatics 
in  lower  Egypt;  another  than  the  "One,"  the  "Sum 
of  All,"  of  the  adepts.  The  prayer  he  had  been  wont 
to  say  on  going  to  rest,  the  story  of  the  Creation  which  he 
had  never  been  weary  of  hearing,  because  it  so  plainly 
showed  how  everything  which  existed  in  heaven  and  on 
earth  had  gradually  come  into  being  till  man  came  to  take 
possession  of  it  and  to  enjoy  it  all  ;  the  history  of  father 
Abraham,  of  Isaac  and  Jacob,  Esau  and  his  own  forefather 
Joseph — how  gladly  had  he  hearkened  to  all  this  as  it  was 
told  him  by  the  gentle  mother  who  had  borne  him,  by  his 


48  yosnuA. 

nurse,  and  his  grandfather  Elishama  ;  and  yet  he.  seemed 
long  since  to  have  forgotten  it.  But  under  his  old  slave's 
humble  roof  he  could  have  repeated  the  tale  word  for  word, 
and  he  now  knew  of  a  surety  that  there  was  indeed  one  God, 
invisible,  almighty,  who  had  chosen  Israel  to  be  His  own 
people,  and  had  promised  to  make  them  a  great  nation. 
That  which  the  Egyptian  priesthood  kept  secret  as  the 
greatest  mystery  was  the  common  possession  of  his  people  ; 
every  beggar,  every  slave,  might  lift  his  hands  in  prayer 
to  the  one  invisible  God  who  had  revealed  Himself  to 
Abraham  and  promised  him  great  things.  Over-wise 
heads  among  the  Egyptians,  who  had  divined  His  exist- 
tence,  had  overlaid  His  essence  with  the  monstrous  births 
of  their  own  imaginings  and  their  own  thoughts,  and  had 
shrouded  Him  in  a  thick  veil,  and  hidden  Him  from  the 
multitude.  It  was  only  among  His  chosen  people  that  He 
lived  and  shewed  forth  His  power  in  its  mighty  and  awful 
greatness. 

This  God  was  not  nature,  though  the  initiated  in  the 
temples  confounded  them  ;  no,  the  God  of  his  fathers  was 
enthroned  on  high,  above  all  created  things  and  the  visible 
universe,  above  man,  His  last  and  most  perfect  work, 
created  in  His  own  image  ;  and  all  creatures  were  subject 
to  His  will.  He,  the  King  of  Kings,  ruled  all  that  had  life 
with  just  severity  ;  and  although  He  hid  himself  from  the 
sight  of  man  who  was  His  image,  and  was  beyond  man's 
apprehension,  yet  was  He  a  living,  thinking,  and  active 
Being  even  as  men  were,  save  that  His  term  of  life  was 
eternity,  His  mind  was  omniscience,  His  realm  was 
infinity. 

And  this  God  had  instituted  Himself  the  leader  of  His 
people.  There  was  no  captain  who  could  dare  to  defy 
His  power.  If  Miriam  were  not  deceived  by  the  Spirit  of 
prophecy,  and  if  He  had  indeed  called  Joshua  to  be  His 
sword,  how  could  he  resist,  or  what  higher  place  could  he 
fill  on  earth  ? 

And  His  people  ;  the  rabble  crowd  of  whom  he  had 
thought  with  scorn,  how  transfigured  they  seemed  by  the 
power  of  the  Most  High  now  that  he  had  heard  old  Eliab's 
tale  !  Now  he  only  longed  to  lead  them  ;  and  on  his  way 
back  to  the  camp  he  stayed  his  steps  on  a  sandy  knoll,  from 
whence  he  could  see  the  limitless  waters  gleaming  under 
the  lamps  of  heaven,    and   for   the   first  time   for  many 


JOSHUA  4$ 

long  years  uplifted  his  arms  and  eyes  to  the  God  whom  he 
had  found  again. 

He  began  with  a  simple  prayer  which  his  mother  had 
taught  him  j  but  then  he  cried  to  the  Lord  as  to  a  mighty 
counselor,  and  besought  Him  with  fervent  entreaty  to  show 
him  the  way  in  which  he  should  walk  without  being 
disobedient  to  his  father,  or  breaking  the  oath  he  had 
sworn  to  the  king,  or  becoming  a  traitor  in  the  eyes  of 
those  to  whom  he  owed  so  much. 

"  Thy  people  glorify  Thee  as  the  God  of  truth,  punish- 
ing those  who  break  their  oath  !  "  he  cried.  "  How  canst 
Thou  bid  me  to  be  faithless  and  to  be  false  to  the  pledge 
I  have  given  ?  All  I  am  or  can  do  is  Thine,  O  Lord,  and 
I  am  ready  to  give  my  blood  and  my  life  for  my  brethren. 
But  rather  than  cast  me  into  dishonor  and  perjury  let  me 
die,  and  give  the  task  Thou  hast  chosen  me,  Thy  servant, 
to  do,  to  a  free  man  bound  by  no  oath  !  " 

Thus  he  prayed,  and  he  felt  as  though  he  clasped  in  his 
arms  a  friend  whom  he  had  accounted  as  lost.  Then  he 
walked  on  in  silence  through  the  diminishing  darkness,  and, 
as  the  grey  dawn  stole  up,  the  high  tide  of  passion  ebbed 
in  his  soul,  and  the  clear-headed  warrior  could  think 
calmly. 

He  had  vowed  to  do  nothing  against  the  will  of  his 
father  or  his  God  ;  but  he  was  no  less  resolved  never  to 
be  a  traitor  and  oath-breaker.  What  he  had  to  do  he  now 
saw  plainly  and  clearly.  He  must  quit  Pharaoh's  service, 
and  declare  before  the  face  of  his  superiors  that,  as  a  duti- 
ful son,  he  must  obey  the  commandments  of  his  father,  and 
go  forth  to  share  his  fortunes  and  the  fortunes  of  his 
people. 

But  he  did  not  conceal  from  himself  that  his  demand 
might  be  refused  ;  that  he  might  be  kept  back  by  force ; 
and  perhaps,  if  he  persisted  unmoved  in  his  resolve,  be 
threatened  with  death,  or,  if  it  came  to  the  worst,  be  hand- 
ed over  to  the  executioner.  But  even  if  this  should  be  his 
doom,  if  his  deed  cost  him  his  life,  he  would  have  done 
what  was  right,  and  his  comrades  in  arms,  whose  esteem 
was  dear  to  him,  would  still  think  of  him  as  their  worthy 
mate  ;  his  father  and  Miriam  would  not  be  wroth  with  him  ; 
nay,  but  would  mourn  for  the  faithful  son,  the  true  man 
who  preferred  death  to  treason. 

Calm  and  elevated  in  spirit,  he  gave  the  watchword  to 
the  sentry  with  proud  composure,  and  went  into  his  tent. 


SO  JOSHUA. 

Ephraim  still  lay  sleeping  and  smiling  as  though  wrapped 
in  sweet  dreams.  Joshua  lay  down  on  a  mat  near  him 
to  seek  strength  for  the  hard  day  before  him.  His  eyes 
soon  closed,  and  after  sleeping  an  hour  he  awoke  of  his 
own  accord  and  called  for  his  handsomest  raiment,  his  hel- 
met and  gilt  armor  which  lie  was  wont  to  wear  only  at 
high  festivals  or  in  the  king's  presence. 

Meanwhile  Ephraim,  too,  awoke,  gazed  at  his  uncle  from 
head  to  foot  with  delighted  curiosity  as  he  stood  before 
him  in  stalwart  manliness  and  shining  warlike  splendor, 
and  cried  as  he  started  up  : 

"  It  must  be  a  fine  thing  to  be  dressed  like  that  and  feel 
oneself  the  leader  of  thousands." 

The  elder  man  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  replied  : 

"  Obey  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  give  no  man,  whether 
great  or  small,  the  right  to  regard  you  with  anything  but 
respect,  and  then  you  may  carry  your  head  as  high  as  the 
proudest  hero  in  his  purple  robe  and  gilt  breast-plate." 

"  But  you  have  done  great  things  among  the  Egyptians," 
the  lad  went  on.  "  They  hold  you  in  high  esteem — even 
Hornecht  the  great  captain,  and  his  daughter  Kasana." 

"  Do  they?  "  said  the  warrior  with  a  smile  ;  and  he  bid 
his  nephew  to  lie  down  and  keep  quiet ;  for  his  brow, 
though  less  burning  than  it  had  been  the  night  before,  was 
still  very  hot. 

"  Do  not  go  out  of  doors,"  Joshua  added,  "  till  the  leech 
has  been  to  see  you,  and  await  my  return." 

"  And  will  you  be  long  away  ?  "  asked  the  boy. 

At  this  Joshua  paused  in  thought,  looked  kindly  in  his 
face  and  then  gravely  replied  : 

"  The  man  who  serves  a  master  never  knows  how  long 
he  may  be  detained."  Then,  changing  his  tone,  he  added 
less  emphatically  :  "  To-day,  this  morning,  I  may  perhaps 
get  through  my  business  quickly  and  return  in  a  few 
hours.  If  it  should  not  be  so,  if  I  should  not  be  with  you 
by  this  evening,  or  early  to-morrow  morning,  then,"  and  he 
laid  his  hand  on  the  boy's  shoulder,  "  then  make  your  way 
home  as  fast  as  you  can.  If  when  you  reach  Succoth  the 
people  have  gone  on  before  you,  look  in  the  hollow  syca- 
more before  the  house  of  Aminadab  and  you  will  find  a 
letter  which  will  tell  you  whither  they  have  gone  ;  and 
when  you  come  up  with  them  greet  my  father  and  my 
grandfather  Elishama,  and  likewise  Miriam,  and  tell  them 


JOSHUA.  Ji 

and  all  the  people  that  Joshua  will  ever  be  mindful  of  the 
commands  of  God  and  of  his  father.  Henceforth  he  will  be 
called  Joshua  by  all  men — Joshua  and  not  Hosea.  Tell 
this  to  Miriam  first  of  all.  Finally,  say  to  them  that  if  I 
stay  behind,  if  I  am  not  allowed  to  follow  them  as  I  fain 
would  do,  it  is  that  the  Most  High  hath  dealt  otherwise 
with  me,  and  hath  broken  the  sword  which  He  had  chosen 
before  He  had  used  it.     Do  you  understand  me,  boy  ?  " 

And  Ephraim  bowed  his  head  and  said  :  "  You  mean 
that  death  alone  can  keep  you  from  obeying  the  call  of 
God  and  your  father's  commands  ?  " 

"That  was  my  meaning,"  replied  his  uncle.  "  And  if 
they  ask  you  why  I  have  not  stolen  away  from  Pharaoh 
and  escaped  from  his  power,  answer  that  Joshua  would 
fain  enter  on  his  office  as  a  true  man  unstained  by  perjury, 
or,  if  it  be  God's  will,  to  die  true.  Now  rehearse  the  mes- 
sage." 

Ephraim  obeyed,  and  his  uncle's  words  must  have  sunk 
deep  into  his  soul,  for  he  neither  forgot  nor  altered  a  single 
word  ;  but  he  had  no  sooner  ended  his  task  of  repetition 
than  he  seized  Joshua's  hand  with  vehement  urgency,  and 
implored  him  to  tell  him  whether  he  had  indeed  any  fear 
for  his  life. 

At  this  the  warrior  clasped  him  in  a  loving  embrace,  and 
assured  him  that  he  hoped  that  he  had  given  him  this  mes- 
sage only  to  be  forgotten. 

"  Perhaps."  he  added,  "  they  may  try  to  keep  me  by 
force  ;  but  by  God's  help  I  shall  soon  be  back  with  you 
again,  and  we  will  ride  forth  together  to  Succoth." 

He  turned  and  went  out  without  heeding  his  nephew's 
questions,  for  he  heard  the  sound  of  wheels  without,  and 
two  chariots  with  five  horses  came  rapidly  up  to  the  tent 
and  stopped  in  front  of  the  entrance. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Joshua  was  well  acquainted  with  the  men  who  stepped  out 
of  the  chariots  ;  they  were  the  head  chamberlain  and  one 
of  the  king's  chief  scribes,  and  they  had  come  to  bid  him 
to  the  High  Gate,  as  the  palace  of  the  Pharaohs  was  called. 
No  hesitancy  or  escape  was  possible,  and  he  got  into  the 


$2  JOSHUA. 

second  chariot  with  the  scribe,  surprised  indeed  but  no* 
uneasy.  Both  officials  wore  mourning  robes,  and  instead 
of  a  white  ostrich  plume,  the  insignia  of  office,  a  black 
plume  fixed  on  the  brow.  The  horses,  too,  and  the  runners 
were  decked  with  badges  of  the  deepest  woe  ;  and  yet  the 
king's  messenger  seemed  to  be  cheerful  rather  than 
dejected,  for  the  noble  bird  which  they  were  charged  to 
bring  into  Pharaoh's  presence  had  come  out  at  their  call  j 
and  they  had  feared  to  find  the  nest  deserted. 

The  long-limbed  bays  of  royal  breed  carried  the  light 
vehicles  with  the  swiftness  of  the  wind  across  the  uneven 
sandy  way  and  the  smooth  high  road  beyond,  towards  the 
palace. 

Ephraim  with  youthful  inquisitiveness  had  gone  out  of 
the  tent  to  see  the  unwonted  scene  that  met  his  eyes.  The 
soldiers  were  well  pleased  that  Pharaoh  should  have  sent 
his  own  chariots  to  fetch  their  captain,  and  he  even  felt 
his  vanity  flattered  when  he  saw  his  uncle  drive  away. 
But  he  had  not  long  the  pleasure  of  watching  him,  for 
thick  clouds  of  dust  soon  hid  the  chariots  from  view. 

The  hot  desert  wind  had  risen  which  so  often  blows  in 
the  Nile-valley  during  the  spring  months,  and  whereas  all 
night  and  in  the  morning  the  sky  had  been  clearly  blue,  it 
was  now  not  clouded  but  veiled,  as  it  were,  with  white 
haze. 

The  sun  looked  down,  a  motionless  globe,  like  a  blind 
eye  above  the  heads  of  men,  and  the  fierce  heat  it  shed 
seemed  to  have  burnt  up  its  beams  which  to-day  were 
invisible.  The  eye  protected  by  the  mist  could  look  up 
at  it  unhurt,  and  yet  its  scorching  power  was  as  great  as 
ever.  The  light  breeze  which  commonly  fanned  the  brow 
in  the  early  part  of  the  day  touched  it  now  like  the  hot 
breath  of  a  raging  beast  of  prey.  It  was  loaded  with  the 
fine  scorching  sand  of  the  desert,  and  the  pleasure  of 
breathing  was  turned  to  torture.  The  usually  fragrant  air 
of  a  March-day  in  Egypt  was  now  an  oppression  both  to 
man  and  beast,  choking  their  lungs  and  seeming  indeed  to 
weigh  on  the  whole  frame  and  check  its  joy  in  life. 

The  higher  the  pale  and  rayless  orb  rose  in  the  sky,  the 
denser  grew  the  mist,  the  heavier  and  swifter  rolled  the 
sand  clouds  from  the  desert. 

Ephraim  still  stood  in  front  of  the  tent  gazing  at  the 
spot   where  Pharaoh's  chariots  had  vanished  in  the  dust. 


yosHUA.  S3 

His  knees  shook,  but  he  attributed  this  to  the  wind  sent 
by  Set-Typhon,  at  whose  blowing  even  the  strongest  was 
aware  of  a  weight  about  his  feet. 

Joshua  was  gone,  but  he  might  return  in  a  few  hours, 
and  then  he  would  be  compelled  to  follow  him  to  Succoth. 
There  the  fair  dreams  and  hopes  which  yesterday  had 
brought  him,  and  whose  bewitching  charms  his  fever  had 
enhanced,  would  be  lost  to  him  for  ever. 

In  the  course  of  the  night  he  had  quite  made  up  his 
mind  to  enter  Pharaoh's  army,  to  the  end  that  he  might 
remain  near  Tanis  and  Kasana;  but  although  he  had  not 
more  than  half  understood  Joshua's  message,  he  could 
clearly  infer  that  he  meant  to  turn  his  back  on  Egypt  and 
his  high  office,  and  that  he  counted  on  taking  him, 
Ephraim,  with  him,  unless  meanwhile  he  could  make  good 
his  escape.  So  then  he  must  give  up  his  desire  to  see 
Kasana  once  more.  But  this  thought  was  more  than  he 
could  endure,  and  a  voice  within  whispered  to  him  that  he 
had  neither  father  nor  mother,  and  was  free  to  act  as  he 
choose.  His  guardian,  the  brother  of  his  deceased  father, 
in  whose  house  he  had  been  brought  up,  had  died  not  long 
since  of  an  illness,  and  no  new  guardian  had  been 
appointed  to  him,  as  he  was  now  past  childhood.  He 
was  destined  by-and-bye  to  become  one  of  the  chiefs  of  his 
proud  tribe,  and  until  yesterday  he  had  never  wished  for 
anything  better. 

When,  yesterday,  he  had  rejected  the  priest's  challenge 
to  become  a  warrior  under  Pharaoh,  with  the  pride  of  a 
shepherd-prince,  he  had  followed  the  impulse  of  his  heart ; 
but  now  he  said  to  himself  that  he  had  been  foolish  and 
childish  to  reject  a  thing  of  which  he  knew  nothing,  which 
had  always  and  intentionally  been  represented  to  him  in  a 
false  and  hideous  light  in  order  to  attach  him  more  closely 
to  his  own  people.  The  Egyptians,  he  had  always  been 
told,  were  his  enemies  and  oppressors  ;  and  how  delight- 
ful, on  the  contrary,  had  everything  seemed  in  the  first 
house  of  an  Egyptian  warrior  which  he  had  happened  to 
enter. 

And  Kasana  !  What  would  she  think  of  him  if  he 
quitted  Tanis  without  a  word  of  greeting  or  leave-taking? 
Would  it  not  be  a  perpetual  vexation. and  regret  to  him 
thai,  he  must  dwell  in  her  memory  as  a  clumsy  peasant 
shepherd  ?      Indeed,  it  would  be  actually  dishonest  not  to 


$4  JOSHVA. 

restore  the  costly  garments  which  she  had  lent  him.  Gra- 
titude was  accounted  among  the  Hebrews,  too,  as  the 
holiest  duty  of  a  noble  heart.  He  would  be  a  hateful 
wretch  all  his  life  long  if  he  did  not  go  to   see  her  once 

more. 

Only  he  must  make  haste,  for  when  Joshua  should 
return  he  must  find  him  ready  to  set  out. 

He  began  forthwith  to  strap  the  sandals  on  his  feet,  but 
he  did  it  but  slowly,  and  he  could  not  understand  what  it 
was  that  made  everything  so  difficult  to  him  to-day. 

He  crossed  the  camp  unimpeded,  the  pylons  and  obel- 
isks in  front  of  the  temples  showed  him  the  way,  though 
they  seemed  to  quiver  in  the  heated,  sand-filled  air,  and  he 
presently  came  out  on  the  broad  road  which  led  to  the 
town  market-place.  A  panting  Egyptian,  whose  ass  was 
carrying  wine-skins  to  the  camp,  directed  him  on  his  way. 

The  path  was  deep  in  dust,  and  dust  wrapped  him  as  he 
went ;  the  sun  overhead  poured  a  flood  of  fire  down  on  his 
bare  head,  and  his  wound  again  began  to  ache  ;  the  sand 
filled  his  eyes  and  mouth  and  stung  his  face  and  bare  limbs. 
He  was  overpowered  by  thirst,  and  more  than  once  he  was 
forced  to  stop  for  his  feet  felt  strangely  heavy.  At  last  he 
reached  a  well,  dug  for  wayfarers  by  a  pious  Egyptian,  and 
although  it  was  graced  with  the  image  of  a  god,  and  Miriam 
had  taught  him  that  it  was  an  abomination  to  turn  from  the 
way  to  such  images,  he  drank  nevertheless,  drank  again  and 
again,  and  thought  he  had  never  enjoyed  such  a  refreshing 
draught. 

He  got  over  his  fear  of  losing  his  senses,  as  he  had  done 
yesterday,  and  though  his  feet  still  dragged  he  walked  on 
briskly  to  the  tempting  goal.  But  presently  his  strength 
again  failed  him,  the  sweat  streamed  from  his  brow,  there 
was  a  throbbing  and  hammering  in  the  cut  on  his  head,  and 
he  felt  as  if  his  skull  was  being  crushed  in  an  iron  fillet. 
Now  his  usually  keen  sight  was  failing,  for  the  things  he 
tried  to  see  seemed  to  float  in  dancing  dust,  the  horizon 
rocked  before  his  eyes  j  and  suddenly  he  felt  as  though  the 
hard  pavement  had  turned  to  a  bog  beneath  his  feet.  Still, 
all  this  troubled  him  little,  for  his  fancy  had  never  glowed 
so  brightly  within  him.  The  things  he  thought  of  rose 
before'him  with  marvelous  vividness.  Image  after  image 
stood  before  the  wide-opened  eyes  of  his  soul,  and  not  at 
his  bidding,  but  as  if  raised  by  a  will  outside  himself.  Now 


JOSHUA.  55 

he  beheld  himself  lying  at  Kasana's  feet,  his  head  fondly 
laid  on  her  lap  while  he  gazed  up  into  her  lovely  face — then 
it  was  Joshua  who  stood  before  him  in  splendid  armor,  as 
he  had  just  now  seen  him,  only  more  gorgeous,  and  in 
ruddy  fire-light  instead  of  the  dim  light  in  the  tent.  Then 
again  all  the  finest  oxen  and  rams  of  his  herds  passed  in 
front  of  him  ;  and  mingling  with  all  these,  sentences  of  the 
message  he  had  learned  passed  though  his  mind,  nay,  he 
fancied  that  they  were  being  shouted  in  his  ears  ;  but  before 
he  could  be  quite  sure  of  their  meaning  some  new  and 
dazzling  vision,  or  a  loud,  rushing  sound  filled  his  mind's 
eye  and  ear. 

And  on  he  went  tottering  like  one  drunk,  with  the  sweat 
standing  on  his  brow  and  a  parched  mouth.  Now  and 
then  he  mechanically  lifted  his  hand  to  wipe  the  dust  from 
his  burning  eyes,  but  he  cared  little  that  they  failed  to  shew 
him  clearly  what  was  passing  around  him,  for  nothing  could 
be  more  delightful  than  what  he  beheld  when  he  looked 
within.  Every  now  and  then,  to  be  sure,  he  was  conscious 
of  acute  suffering,  and  he  felt  inclined  to  fling  himself  on 
the  ground  in  sheer  exhaustion,  but  then  again  a  strange 
sense  of  relief  kept  him  up.  At  last  the  delirium  was 
too  much  for  him ;  his  head  seemed  growing  and  swelling 
till  it  was  as  large  as  the  head  of  the  colossus  he  had  seen 
yesterday  in  front  of  a  temple  ;  then  it  rose  to  the  height 
of  the  palm-trees  by  the  road  side,  and  at  last  it  reached 
the  mist  over  the  firmament,  and  higher  and  higher  yet. 
Then  this  head,  which  was  still  his  head,  was  as  wide  as 
the  horizon,  and  he  pressed  his  hands  to  his  temples  and 
held  his  brow,  for  his  neck  and  shoulders  were  too  weak 
to  bear  the  burthen  of  so  huge  a  head,  till,  possessed  with 
this  madness,  he  shrieked  aloud,  his  knees  gave  way,  and 
he  sank  senseless  in  the  dust. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

At  this  same  hour  a  chamberlain  was  leading  Joshua  into 
the  hall  of  audience. 

Though  subjects  bidden  to  attend  the  king  commonly 
had  hours  to  wait,  the  Hebrew's  patience  was  put  to  no 
severe  test.     At  this  time  of  deep  mourning  the  spacious 


56  JOSHUA. 

rooms  of  the  palace,  in  which  a  gay  and  noisy  throng  were 
wont  to  move,  were  as  still  as  the  grave  ;  for  not  the  slaves 
and  sentries  only,  but  many  persons  of  superior  rank  in 
immediate  attendance  on  the  royal  pair,  had  lied  from  the 
pestilence  and  escaped  without  leave. 

1 1 1  re  and  there  a  solitary  priest  or  official  leaned  against 
a  pillar  or  cowered  on  the  ground,  hiding  his  face  in  his 
hands,  while  awaiting  some  command.  Soldiers  went 
about  trailing  their  arms  and  in  silent  brooding.  Now  and 
then  a  few  young  priests  in  mourning  robes  stole  through 
the  deserted  rooms,  and  speechlessly  swung  the  silver  cen- 
sers, which  shed  a  pungent  perfume  of  resin  and  junipers. 

It  was  as  though  a  terrible  incubus  weighed  on  the 
palace  and  its  inhabitants  ;  for,  added  to  the  loss  of  the 
king's  beloved  son,  which  came  home  to  many  hearts,  the 
fear  of  death  and  the  desert-wind  had  crushed  the  energies 
of  mind  and  body  alike. 

Here,  under  the  shadow  of  the  throne,  where  of  yore  all 
eyes  had  glittered  with  hope,  ambition,  gratitude  or  fear, 
devotion  or  hatred,  Joshua  saw  to-day  only  bowed  heads 
and  downcast  looks. 

Baie,  alone,  the  second  prophet  of  Anion,  seemed  un- 
touched by  sorrow,  or  the  terrors  of  the  night,  or  the 
enervating  influences  of  the  day ;  he  greeted  the  captain 
in  the  ante-chamber  as  frankly  and  cheerfully  as  ever,  and 
assured  him,  though  in  an  undertone,  that  no  one  dreamed 
of  calling  him  to  account  for  the  sins  of  his  people.  But 
when  the  Hebrew,  of  his  own  free  will,  acknowledged  that 
at  the  moment  when  he  was  sent  for  by  the  king  he  was 
in  the  act  of  going  to  the  superior  captains  of  the  army 
to  beseech  them  to  release  him  from  his  service,  the  priest 
interrupted  him  to  remind  him  of  the  debt  of  gratitude 
which  he,  Baie,  owed  to  him.  And  he  declared  that,  for 
his  part,  he  would  do  his  utmost  to  keep  him  with  the 
army,  and  to  prove  to  him  that  an  Egyptian  knew  how  to 
honor  faithful  service  without  respect  of  persons  or  consi- 
derations of  birth,  nay,  even  against  Pharaoh's  will  ;  and 
of  this  he  would  presently  speak  with  him  in  secret. 

But  the  Hebrew  had  no  time  to  reiterate  his  purpose, 
for  the  head  chamberlain  interrupted  them  to  lead  Joshua 
into  the  presence  of  the  "  kind  god."  * 


An  euphemistic  title  of  the  Pharaohs, 


JOSFTTTA.  57 

Pharaoh  awaited  him  in  the  smaller  reception  hall, 
adjoining  the  royal  apartments.  It  was  a  noble  room,  and 
looked  more  spacious  to-day  than  when,  as  usual,  it  was 
filled  with  a  crowd.  Only  a  few  courtiers  and  priests,  with 
some  of  the  queen's  ladies,  formed  a  small  group,  all  in 
deep  mourning,  round  the  throne ;  opposite  the  king, 
squatting  in  a  circle  on  the  ground,  were  the  king's  coun- 
cillors and  scribes,  wearing  each  his  ostrich  plume. 

All  wore  badges  of  mourning,  and  the  monotonous 
chant  of  the  wailing  women,  broken  now  and  then  by  a 
loud,  shrill,  tremulous  outcry,  came  pealing  out  from  the 
inner  rooms  and  found  its  way  to  the  great  hall,  a  token 
that  death  had  claimed  a  victim  even  in  the  palace. 

The  king  and  queen  sat  on  a  couch  under  a  canopy  of 
black ;  the  throne  itself  was  of  ivory  and  gold.  Instead 
of  their  splendid  state  attire  they  were  clad  in  dark  robes, 
and  the  royal  wife  and  mother,  who  bewailed  her  first-born, 
leaned  motionless  and  with  downcast  head  against  her 
husband's  shoulder. 

Pharaoh,  too,  kept  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  ground,  as  if 
lost  in  a  dream.  The  sceptre  had  fallen  from  his  hand 
and  lay  in  his  lap. 

The  queen  had  been  torn  from  the  corpse  of  her  son, 
which  was  now  given  over  to  the  embalmers,  and  it  was 
not  till  she  entered  the  audience  hall  that  she  had  been 
able  to  control  her  tears.  But  she  had  not  thought  of 
resistance,  for  the  unrelenting  ceremonial  of  court  life 
made  the  queen's  presence  indispensable  at  any  audience 
of  high  importance.  And  to-day  of  all  days  she  certainly 
would  fain  have  escaped,  but  that  Pharaoh  had  command- 
ed her  to  appear.  She  knew  what  counsel  was  to  be 
taken,  and  approved  of  it  beforehand  ;  for  she  was  wholly 
possessed  by  her  dread  of  the  power  of  Mesu  the  Hebrew, 
called  by  his  own  people  Moses,  and  of  his  God,  who  had 
brought  such  terrors  on  Egypt.  Alas !  for  she  had  other 
children  to  lose,  and  she  had  known  Mesu  from  his  child- 
hood, and  knew  in  what  high  esteem  the  learning  of  this 
stranger  had  been  held  by  the  great  Rameses,  her  hus- 
band's father  and  predecessor,  who  had  brought  him  up 
with  his  own  sons. 

Oh,  if  it  were  but  possible  to  make  terms  with  this  man  ! 
But  Mesu  had  departed  with  his  people  ;  and  she  knew 
his  iron  will,  and  that  the  terrible  foe  was  armed  not  alone 


58  JOSHUA. 

against  Pharaoh's  throats  but  even  against  her  passionate 
supplications. 

Now  she  would  meet  Joshua ;  and  he,  the  son  of  Nun, 
and  the  most  noble  of  the  Hebrews  of  Tanis,  could  succeed, 
if  any  man  could,  in  carrying  out  such  measures  as  she  and 
her  husband  might  think  best  for  all  parties,  in  concert 
with  Ruie,  the  venerable  high  priest  and  chief  prophet  of 
Anion,  the  pontiff  of  all  priesthood  of  Egypt,  who  com- 
bined in  his  own  person  the  dignities  of  chief  judge,  treas- 
urer and  viceroy  of  the  realm,  and  who  had  come  with  the 
court  from  Thebes  t'o  Tanis. 

When  she  had  been  sent  for  to  the  audience  chamber  she 
was  winding  a  garland  for  the  beloved  dead,  and  lotos 
flowers,  larkspurs,  mallow  and  willow  leaves  were  handed 
to  her  as  she  required  them.  They  lay  before  her  now  on 
a  table  and  in  her  lap,  but  she  felt  paralyzed,  and  her 
hand,  as  she  put  it  forth,  refused  its  service. 

Ruie,  the  chief  prophet  of  Anion,  sat  on  his  heels  on  a 
mat  to  the  left  of  the  king  ;  he  was  a  very  old  man,  long 
past  his  ninetieth  year.  A  pair  of  shrewd  eyes,  shaded  by 
a  pent-house  of  thick  white  eyebrows,  looked  out  of  his 
brown  face,  which  was  as  gnarled  and  wrinkled  as  a  bark 
of  a  rugged  oak,  like  bright  flowers  from  withered  foliage, 
and  their  brilliancy  was  startling  in  such  a  shrunken,  hud- 
dled, stooping  figure. 

This  old  man  had  long  since  left  all  active  conduct  of 
affairs  to  the  second  prophet,  Baie,  but  he  clung  stoutly  to 
his  dignities,  to  his  place  at  Pharaoh's  side,  and  his  seat  in 
the  council ;  and  rarely  as  he  spoke,  his  opinion  more 
often  carried  the  day  than  that  of  the  eloquent,  fiery  and 
much  younger  second  prophet. 

Since  the  pestilence  had  invaded  the  palace  the  old  man 
had  not  quitted  Pharaoh's  side,  yet  he  felt  more  alive  than 
usual  to-day,  for  the  desert  wind,  which  made  others  lan- 
guish, revived  him.  He  was  wont  to  shiver  continually 
in  spite  of  the  panther  skin  which  covered  his  back  and 
shoulders,  and  the  heat  of  the  day  warmed  his  sluggish  old 
blood. 

The  Hebrew  Mesu  had  been  his  pupil,  and  never  had 
he  had  the  guidance  of  a  grander  nature  or  the  teaching 
of  a  youth  more  richly  graced  with  all  the  gifts  of  the 
spirit.  He  had  initiated  the  Hebrew  into  all  the  highest 
mysteries,  and  had  expected  the  greatest  results  for  Egypt 


JOSHUA.  59 

and  the  priesthood  ;  and  when  Mesu  had  one  day  slain  an 
overseer  who  was  unmercifully  flogging  one  of  his  fellow 
Hebrews,  and  had  fled  into  the  desert,  Ruie  had  bewailed 
the  rash  deed  as  deeply  as  if  his  own  son  had  committed 
it  and  was  to  suffer  the  consequences.  His  intercession 
had  procured  Mesu's  pardon,  but  when  Mesu  had  returned 
to  Egypt,  and  that  change  had  been  wrought  in  him  which 
his  friends  in  the  temple  called  his  apostasy,  he  had  caused 
his  old  master  a  keener  grief  than  by  his  flight.  If  Ruie 
had  been  younger  he  would  have  hated  the  man  who  had 
cheated  his  dearest  hopes  ;  but  the  old  priest,  to  whom 
the  human  heart  was  as  an  open  book,  and  whose  sober 
impartiality  enabled  him  to  put  himself  in  the  place  of  his 
fellow-man,  confessed  to  himself  that  it  was  his  own  fault 
that  he  had  failed  to  foresee  this  falling  away.  Education 
and  dogma  had  made  of  Mesu,  the  Plebrew,  an  Egyptian 
priest  after  his  own  heart  and  pleasing  to  the  divinity,  but 
when  once  he  had  raised  his  hand  to  defend  one  of  his  own 
race  against  those  to  whom  he  had  been  allied  only  by 
human  agencies,  he  was  lost  to  the  Egyptians.  He  was 
henceforth  a  true  son  of  his  people  ;  and  whithersoever  this 
high-minded  and  strong-willed  man  might  lead,  others 
must  inevitably  follow. 

Aye,  and  the  high  priest  knew  full  well  what  it  was  that 
the  apostate  hoped  to  give  to  his  people  ;  he  had  confessed 
to  Ruie  himself  that  it  was  the  faith  in  One  God.  Mesu 
had  denied  that  he  was  guilty  of  perjury,  and  had  pledged 
himself  never  to  betray  the  mysteries  to  his  people,  but 
only  to  lead  them  back  to  the  God  whom  their  forefathers 
had  served  before  Joseph  and  his  kindred  had  ever  come 
into  Egypt.  The  One  God  of  the  initiated  was,  no  doubt, 
in  many  respects  like  the  God  of  the  Hebrews,  and  that 
was  precisely  what  had  reassured  the  ancient  sage ;  for  he 
knew  by  experience  that  the  common  folk  would  not  be 
content  with  a  god,  one  and  invisible,  such  as  many  of  the 
more  advanced  of  his  own  disciples  found  it  difficult  to 
conceive  of.  The  men  and  women  of  the  masses  required 
sensible  images  of  everything  of  which  they  perceived  the 
effects  in  and  about  them,  and  this  need  the  religion  of  the 
Egyptians  gratified.  What  comfort  could  a  love-lorn  maid 
find  in  an  invisible  and  creative  Power  governing  the 
course  of  the  universe  ?  She  would  be  drawn  to  the  gentle 
Hathor,  who  held  in  her  beneficent  grasp  the  cords  which 


60  JOSHUA. 

bind  heart  to  heart,  the  fair  and  powerful  goddess  of  pro- 
creation before  whom  she  could  pour  forth  in  full  confi- 
dence all  that  weighed  on  her  soul.  Or  a  mother  who 
longed  to  snatch  a  darling  child  from  death — how  could 
her  small  sorrows  concern  the  incomprehensible  and 
almighty  Being  who  ruled  the  whole  world?  But  Isis,  the 
gracious  mother,  who  herself  had  wept  in  such  deep 
anguish,  she  could  understand  her  grief !  And  how  often 
in  Egypt  it  was  the  wife  who  influenced  her  husband's 
attitude  to  the  gods  ! 

And  the  high  priest  had  frequently  seen  Hebrew  men 
and  women  worshipping  devoutly  in  the  sanctuaries  of 
Egypt.  Even  if  Mesu  should  succeed  in  persuading  them 
to  acknowledge  One  God,  he,  the  experienced  old  man, 
foresaw  with  certainty  that  they  would  ere  long  turn  away 
from  the  invisible  Spirit  who  must  ever  remain  remote  and 
unreal  to  their  apprehension,  and  flock  back  in  hundreds 
to  the  gods  they  could  understand. 

Now,  Egypt  was  threatened  with  the  loss  of  the  husband- 
men and  brickmakers  she  so  greatly  needed.  Still  Ruie 
believed  he  could  lure  them  back. 

"  "When  kind  words  will  do  the  work  let  sword  and  bow 
lie  idle,"  he  had  said  to  his  deputy,  Baie,  who  had  urged 
that  the  fugitives  should  be  pursued  and  slain.  "  We  have 
more  corpses  than  enough  already  ;  what  we  lack  are 
workers.  Let  us  try  to  keep  our  hold  on  what  we  are  so 
likely  to  lose." 

And  this  milder  counsel  had  been  quite  after  the  heart 
of  Pharaoh,  who  had  had  enough  of  lamentation,  and  who 
would  have  thought  it  less  rash  to  go  unarmed  into  a  lion's 
cage  than  to  defy  the  terrible  Hebrew  any  further. 

So  he  had  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  the  incitements  of  the 
second  prophet,  whose  decisive  and  energetic  nature  had 
an  influence  all  the  more  powerful  as  his  own  was  irre- 
solute, and  had  approved  old  Ruie's  proposal  that  Joshua, 
the  man  of  war,  should  be  sent  to  his  people,  to  treat  with 
them  in  Pharaoh's  name — a  plan  which  had  calmed  his 
fears  and  inspired  him  with  new  hopes. 

Baie  himself  had  at  last  agreed  to  this  suggestion.  It 
gave  him  a  further  chance  of  undermining  the  throne  he 
hoped  to  overthrow  ;  and  if  once  the  Hebrews  were  re- 
established in  the  land,  Prince  Siptah,  in  whose  eyes  no 
punishment  was  too  severe  for  the  Hebrews,  who  hated 


JOSHUA.  61 

him,  might  very  probably  seize  the  sceptre  of  the  cowardly 
Menephtah.  But  first  the  fugitives  must  be  stopped,  and 
for  this  Joshua  was  the  right  man.  No  one,  Baie  thought, 
was  better  fitted  to  win  the  confidence  of  an  unsuspicious 
soldier  than  Pharaoh  himself  and  his  royal  wife. 

The  old  high  priest  was  on  this  point  of  the  same 
opinion,  although  he  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  conspiracy  ; 
and  thus  the  sovereigns  had  determined  to  interrupt  the 
lamentations  for  the  dead  and  themselves  speak  with  the 
Hebrew. 

Joshua  fell  on  his  face  before  their  feet,  and  when  he 
rose  the  king's  weary  face  was  bent  on  him,  sadly  indeed, 
but  gracionsly. 

The  father  who  had  lost  his  first-born  son  had,  according 
to  custom,  sacrificed  his  hair  and  beard  to  the  razor. 
They  had  formerly  framed  his  face  in  glossy  black,  but  near 
twenty  years  of  anxious  rule  had  turned  them  grey,  and 
his  figure  had  lost  its  upright  bearing  and  had  a  languid, 
senile  stoop,  though  he  was  scarcely  past  fifty.  His  regular 
features  were  still  handsome,  and  there  was  something 
pathetic  in  their  melancholy  softness,  evidently  incapable 
of  any  severe  tension,  especially  when  a  smile  lent  be- 
witching charm  to  his  mouth.  The  indolent  deliberate- 
ness  of  his  movements  scarcely  detracted  from  the  natural 
dignity  of  his  person,  though  his  voice,  which  was  agree- 
able, generally  had  an  exhausted  and  plaintive  sound.  He 
was  not  born  to  rule  ;  thirteen  brothers,  older  than  he, 
had  died  before  the  heirship  to  the  throne  had  devolved 
upon  him,  and  he,  meanwhile,  as  the  handsomest  youth  in 
all  the  land,  the  darling  of  the  women  and  a  light-hearted 
favorite  of  fortune,  had  lived  a  life  of  unbroken  enjoyment 
till  he  had  almost  arrived  at  manhood.  Then  he  had 
succeeded  his  father,  Rameses  the  Great ;  and  hardly  had 
he  grasped  the  sceptre  when  the  Libyans,  with  strong 
allies,  had  rebelled  against  his  rule.  The  veteran  troops 
and  their  captains,  schooled  in  his  father's  wars,  helped 
him  to  conquer.  But  in  the  twenty  years  which  had  now 
elapsed  since  his  father's  death  his  armies  had  rarely  had 
any  rest,  for  rebellions  had  constantly  to  be  quelled,  now 
in  the  East  and  now  in  the  West ;  and  instead  of  dwelling 
in  Thebes,  where  he  had  spent  many  happy  years,  and 
living  in  the  most  gorgeous  of  palaces,  as  he  would  fain 
have  done,  enjoying  the  blessings  of  peace  and  the  society 


fz  JOSHUA. 

of  the  illustrious  students  and  poets  who  were  at  that  time 
to  be  found  there,  he  was  forced  sometimes  to  lead  his 
armies  into  the  field,  and  sometimes  to  reside  at  Tanis. 
Thus  only  could  he  settle  the  difficulties  that  disturbed  the 
border  province,  and  in  this  he  yielded  willingly  to  the  coun- 
sels of  Ruic.  In  the  later  years  of  his  father's  reign  the 
national  sanctuary  at  Thebes,  and,  consequently,  its  high 
priest,  had  attained  greater  wealth  and  power  than  the 
royal  family,  and  it  suited  Mcnephtah's  indolent  nature  to 
be  an  instrument  rather  than  a  master,  so  long  as  he 
abdicated  none  of  the  external  honors  due  to  Pharaoh. 
These  he  guarded  with  a  resolute  care  which  he  was  inca- 
pable of  exerting  when  more  serious  matters  demanded  it. 

The  gracious  condescension  with  which  the  king  received 
him  gratified  Joshua,  and  at  the  same  time  roused  his 
suspicions.  However,  he  had  the  courage  to  declare 
freely  that  he  desired  to  be  released  from  his  office  and 
from  the  oath  he  had  taken  to  his  sovereign  lord. 

Pharaoh  listened  unmoved,  and  it  was  not  till  the  soldier 
had  confessed  that  his  father's  commands  had  moved  him 
to  take  this  step  that  Pharaoh  signed  to  the  high  priest, 
who  then  spoke  in  scarcely  audible  tones  : 

"  A  son  who  sacrifices  greatness  that  he  may  continue 
dutiful  to  his  father  must  be  one  of  the  most  faithful  of 
Pharaoh's  servants.  Go  then,  do  the  bidding  of  Nun.  The 
child  of  the  sun,  the  lord  of  Upper  and  Lower  Egypt,  sets 
you  free.  But  on  one  condition,  which  I,  as  the  minister 
of  his  master,  declare  to  you." 

"  And  what  is  that  ?  "  inquired  Joshua. 

And  again  the  king  signed  to  the  old  priest ;  then  he 
sank  back  on  the  throne,  while  Ruie  fixed  his  piercing  eyes 
on  Joshua  and  went  on  : 

"  That  which  the  Lord  of  both  worlds  requires  of  you  by 
my  mouth  is  easy  to  fulfill.  You  must  return,  to  be  his 
servant  and  one  of  us  again,  as  soon  as  your  people  and 
their  chief,  who  brought  such  woe  on  this  land,  shall  have 
taken  the  hand  of  the  divine  son  of  the  Sun  which  he  vouch- 
safes to  hold  forth  to  them  in  pardon,  and  shall  have  come 
back  under  the  shadow  of  his  throne.  Pie,  of  his  divine 
mercy,  is  ready  to  attach  them  to  him  and  to  his  land  again 
with  rich  gifts,  as  soon  as  they  come  home  from  the  dssert, 
whither  they  are  gone  forth  to  sacrifice  to  their  god. 
Mark  me  well !     All  the  oppressions  which  weighed  on  the 


y  JOSHUA.  63 

people  to  whom  you  belong  shall  be  lifted  from  them.  The 
divine  King  will  make  a  new  law  granting  them  much  free- 
dom and  many  privileges,  and  all  that  we  promise  them 
shall  be  written  down  and  witnessed  on  our  part  and  on 
yours,  as  a  new  covenant  binding  on  our  children  and  our 
children's  children.  Now  when  this  shall  have  been  done, 
with  an  honest  purpose  to  abide  by  it  forever  on  our  part, 
and  when  your  people  shall  have  agreed  to  accept  it,  will 
you  then  consent  to  be  one  of  us  once  more  ?  " 

"  Take  upon  yourself  the  office  of  mediator,"  the  queen 
here  broke  in,  in  a  low  voice,  and  her  sad  eyes  were  fixed 
beseechingly  on  the  Hebrew's  face.  "  I  quail  before  Mesu's 
wrath,  and  all  that  may  be  done  shall  be  done  to  win  back 
his  former  friendship.  Speak  to  him  in  my  name,  and  re- 
mind him  of  the  days  when  I,  Isis  Nefert,  would  learn  of 
him  the  names  of  the  plants  I  carried  to  him,  and  he  taught 
me  and  my  sister  their  uses  or  their  poisonous  powers  when 
he  came  to  see  the  queen,  his  second  mother,  in  the 
women's  quarters.  The  wounds  he  has  inflicted  on  our 
hearts  shall  be  forgiven  and  forgotten.  Be  our  ambassador, 
Joshua ;  do  not  refuse  our  prayer  !  " 

"  Such  words  from  such  gracious  lips  are  a  command," 
replied  the  warrior,  "  and  are  sweet  to  the  heart.  I  will  be 
mediator." 

At  this  the  old  high  priest  nodded  approval,  and  said  : 
"  Then  I  hope  that  the  fruit  of  this  short  hour  may  be  a 
long  period  of  peace.  But  mark  me.  Where  medicine 
may  avail  we  avoid  the  knife  and  cautery ;  where  there  is 
a  bridge  over  the  river  a  man  does  not  rashly  try  to  swim 
through  the  whirlpool." 

"  Yes,  verily,  we  will  avoid  the  whirlpool,"  said  the  king, 
and  the  queen  repeated  his  words  ;  then  she  again  fixed 
her  eyes  on  the  flowers  in  her  lap. 

Then  a  formal  council  was  held. 

Three  private  scribes  sat  down  on  the  ground,  close  to 
the  high  priest,  to  enable  them  to  hear  his  low  tones,  and 
the  interpreters  and  counselors,  in  their  places,  took  out 
their  writing  things,  and,  holding  the  papyrus  in  their  left 
hands,  wrote  with  reeds  or  brushes,  for  nothing  might 
remain  unrecorded  which  was  discussed  and  decided  in 
Pharaoh's  presence.  Hardly  a  whisper  was  to  be  heard  in 
the  hall  while  this  went  on  ;  the  guards  and  courtiers 
remained  motionless  in  their  places,  and  the  royal  couple 


«4  JOSHUA. 

sat  rigid  and  speechless,  gazing  into  vacancy,  as  if  in  a 
dream. 

Neither  Pharaoh  nor  his  wife  could  possibly  have  caught 
a  word  of  the  murmured  colloquy  of  the  speakers,  but  the 
Egyptians  never  ended  a  sentence  without  glancing  up  at 
the  king,  as  if  to  make  sure  of  his  approval.  Joshua,  who 
was  accustomed  to  the  scene,  followed  their  example, 
speaking  like  the  Others  in  a  subdued  voice,  and  when 
presently  the  voice  of  the  second  prophet,  or  of  the  chief 
interpreter,  sounded  rather  louder,  Pharaoh  raised  his  head 
and  repeated  the  high  priest's  last  saying  :  "  Where  there 
is  a  bridge  over  the  river  a  man  does  not  try  to  swim  the 
whirlpool,"  for  this  exactly  expressed  his  wishes  and  the 
queen's.  No  fighting.  Peace  with  the  Hebrews,  and  res- 
pite from  the  wrath  of  their  terrible  leader  and  of  his  god, 
without  losing  the  thousand  diligent  hands  of  the  fugitive 
tribes. 

Thus  matters  proceeded,  and  when  the  muttering  of  the 
speakers  and  the  scratching  of  the  pens  had  gone  on  for 
fully  an  hour,  the  queen  was  still  sitting  in  the  same  atti- 
tude \  but  Pharaoh  began  to  stir  and  raise  his  voice,  for 
he  knew  that  the  second  prophet  hated  the  man  whose 
blessing  he  had  received  and  whose  hostility  filled  him  with 
such  dread,  and  he  feared  but  he  should  be  requiring  some 
impossible  conditions  of  the  envoy. 

Still,  all  he  said  was  again  a  repetition  of  the  counsel  as 
to  the  bridge  ;  but  his  inquiring  glance  at  the  chief  inter- 
preter moved  that  official  to  assure  him  that  all  was 
proceeding  favorably.  Joshua  had  merely  demanded  that 
the  overseers,  who  kept  guard  over  the  men  at  work,  should 
not,  for  the  future,  be  watchmen  of  Libyan  race,  but  He- 
brews themselves,  to  be  chosen  by  the  elders  of  their  people 
under  the  sanction  of  the  Egyptian  government. 

At  this  Pharaoh  cast  his  look  of  anxious  entreaty  at  Baie 
and  the  other  councillors.  The  second  prophet  only 
shrugged  his  shoulders  regretfully,  and,  feigning  to  defer 
his  own  opinion  to  the  divine  wisdom  of  Pharaoh,  conceded 
this  point  to  Joshua.  The  god  enthroned  on  earth  acknow- 
ledged this  submission  with  a  grateful  bow,  for  Baie's  will 
had  often  crossed  his  ;  and  then,  when  the  herald  or 
rehearser  had  read  aloud  all  the  clauses  of  the  treaty, 
Joshua  was  required  to  take  a  solemn  oath  that  he  would 
in  any  case  come  back  to  Tanis  and  report  how  his  people 
had  received  the  king's  advances. 


JOSHUA.  65 

But  the  cautious  warrior,  who  was  well  aware  of  all  the 
snares  and  traps  with  which  the  State  was  only  too  ready, 
took  this  oath  most  unwillingly,  and  only  when  he  had 
obtained  a  written  pledge  that,  whatever  the  issue,  his  free- 
dom should  be  in  no  way  interfered  with  as  soon  as  he 
could  give  them  his  word  that  he  had  done  his  part  to  in- 
duce the  leader  of  his  people  to  accept  these  terms. 

At  last  Pharaoh  held  out  his  hand  for  the  captain  to  kiss, 
and  when  he  had  also  pressed  to  his  lips  the  hem  of  the 
queen's  robe,  Ruie  signed  to  the  monarch,  who  understood 
that  the  moment  was  come  when  he  should  withdraw. 
And  he  did  so  with  goodwill  and  a  sense  of  encouragement, 
for  he  believed  that  he  had  acted  for  the  best  for  his  own 
welfare  and  that  of  his  people. 

A  bright  radiance  lighted  up  his  handsome,  languid 
features,  and  when  the  queen  rose  and  saw  him  smile,  con- 
tent, she  did  the  same.  At  the  door  the  king  drew  a 
breath  of  relief,  and  turning  to  his  wife  he  said  :  "  If  Joshua 
does  his  errand  well  we  shall  get  across  the  bridge." 

"  And  not  swim  the  whirlpool,"  replied  the  queen  in  the 
same  tone. 

"  And  if  the  Hebrew  captain  can  pacify  Mesu,"  Pharaoh 
went  on,  "and  he  persuades  his  people  to  remain  in  the 
land " 

"  Then  you  must  adopt  this  Joshua  into  the  royal  family. 
He  is  well  favored  and  of  a  lordly  mien,"  his  wife  broke 
in. 

But  at  this  Pharaoh  suddenly  abandoned  his  stooping 
and  indifferent  attitude. 

"  Impossible  !  "  he  eagerly  exclaimed.  "  A  Hebrew  ! 
If  we  raise  him  to  be  one  of  the  'friends,'  or  a  fanbearer, 
that  is  the  highest  he  can  hope  for.  In  such  matters  it  is 
very  difficult  to  avoid  doing  too  much  or  too  little  ! " 

As  the  royal  couple  went  forward  toward  the  private 
apartments  the  wailing  of  the  mourners  fell  more  loudly  on 
the  ear.  Tears  started  afresh  to  the  queen's  eyes,  while 
Pharaoh  continued  to  deliberate  precisely  what  position  in 
the  court  Joshua  might  be  allowed  to  fill  if  he  succeeded  in 
his  embassy. 


66  JOSHUA. 


CHAPTER  X. 

Joshua  had  now  to  hasten  if  he  was  to  overtake  the 
Hebrews  in  time,  for  the  further  they  had  got  on  their  way 
the  more  difficult  it  might  be  to  persuade  Moses  and  the 
heads  of  the  tribes  to  return  and  accept  the  terms  offered 
them. 

The  events  of  this  morning  were  to  him  so  marvelous 
that  he  regarded  the  issue  as  a  dispensation  of  the  god  he 
had  found  once  more  ;  also  he  remembered  the  name  of 
Joshua,  that  is  to  say,  "  holpen  of  the  Lord,''  which  had 
been  laid  upon  him  by  Miriam's  message,  whereas  he  had 
hitherto  been  called  Hosea.  He  was  willing  to  bear  it, 
although  he  felt  it  hard  to  deny  the  sovereign  who  had 
raised  him  to  honor.  Many  of  his  fellow-warriors  had 
assumed  similar  names,  and  his  had  proved  itself  nobly 
true.  Never  had  the  help  of  God  been  more  clearly  with 
him  than  it  had  been  this  day.  He  had  gone  into  Pha- 
raoh's palace  in  the  expectation  of  losing  his  freedom  or 
being  handed  over  to  the  executioner  as  soon  as  he  de- 
clared his  wish  to  follow  his  people  ;  and  how  easily  had 
the  ties  been  severed  which  bound  him  to  Egypt.  And 
he  had  been  charged  with  a  task,  in  his  eyes  so  great  and 
noble,  that  he  could  not  forbear  believing  that  the  God  of 
his  fathers  had  called  him  to  fulfill  it. 

He  loved  Egypt.  It  was  a  glorious  land.  Where  could 
his  people  find  a  fairer  dwelling  place  ?  The  conditions 
only  under  which  they  had  dwelt  there  had  been  intoler- 
able. Better  days  were  now  before  them.  The  Hebrews 
were  to  be  permitted  to  return  to  Goshen  or  to  settle  in 
the  lake-land  west  of  the  Nile,  a  district  whose  fertility  was 
well  known  to  him.  No  one  henceforth  might  compel 
them  to  serfdom,  and  if  they  laid  their  hands  to  labor  for 
the  State,  Hebrews  only  were  to  be  their  taskmasters,  and 
not  the  hard  and  cruel  stranger.  That  his  people  must  re- 
main subject  to  Pharaoh  was  a  matter  of  course.  Joseph, 
Ephraim  and  his  sons,  Joshua's  forefathers,  had  called 
themselves  so,  and  had  been  well  content  to  be  regarded 


JOSHUA.  67 

as  Egyptians.  If  his  embassy  came  to  a  good  end,  the 
elders  of  the  tribes  were  to  be  allowed  to  rule  the  domestic 
affairs  of  the  people.  Moses  must  be  the  chief  ruler  in  the 
new  settlement,  in  spite  of  the  second  prophet's  objections, 
and  he  himself  would  be  captain  of  the  united  force  which 
should  defend  its  frontiers,  and  form  fresh  legions  of  those 
Hebrew  mercenaries  who  had  already  proved  their  valor 
in  many  wars.  Before  he  left  the  palace  the  second 
prophet  had  given  him  several  mysterious  hints  which  had 
remained  unsolved,  but  from  which  he  inferred  that  Baie 
was  big  with  portentous  schemes,  and  proposed  to  give 
him  some  important  charge  as  soon  as  the  conduct  of  the 
State  should  fall  from  the  hands  of  old  Ruie  into  his  own  ; 
perhaps  the  chief  captaincy  of  the  whole  army  of  mercen- 
aries, a  post  at  present  held  by  a  Syrian  named  Aarsu.  This 
disturbed  rather  than  gratified  him  ;  but  on  the  other  hand 
it  was  a  great  satisfaction  to  him  to  have  made  it  a  con- 
dition that  the  eastern  frontier  should,  every  third  year,  be 
thrown  open  to  the  Hebrews,  that  they  might  go  forth  to 
the  desert  to  offer  sacrifices  to  their  God.  On  this  Moses 
had  insisted  most  strongly,  for,  as  the  law  now  stood,  no 
one  was  permitted  to  cross  the  eastern  limit  line,  which 
was  fortified  at  all  points,  without  the  express  consent  of 
the  authorities.  This  concession  to  their  great  leader's 
desires  might  perhaps  gain  his  assent  to  a  treaty  so  favor- 
able to  his  people. 

All  through  these  transactions  Joshua  had  felt  keenly 
how  far  he  had  been  cut  off  from  his  tribe;  he  could  not 
even  say  what  was  the  aim  of  this  worship  in  the  desert. 
He  had  frankly  confessed  before  Pharaoh's  council  that 
he  knew  nothing  of  the  complaints  or  demands  of  the 
Hebrews,  and  he  did  so  advisedly,  reserving  their  right  to 
alter  and  amplify  the  proposals  of  which  he  was  the  bearer. 
But  what  could  the  people  or  their  chief  hope  for  better? 

The  future  lay  before  him  full  of  hope  for  his  nation  and 
himself.  If  the  covenant  should  be  concluded  the  time 
would  come  for  him  to  found  a  family,  and  the  image  of 
Miriam  rose  before  him  in  all  its  lofty  beauty.  The 
thought  of  winning  this  noble  woman  was  an  intoxicating 
one  ;  and  he  asked  himself  whether  he  were  indeed  worthy 
of  her,  and  if  it  were  not  too  bold  to  sue  for  the  possession 
of  this  superb  inspired  maiden  and  prophetess. 

He  knew  life  well,  and  understood  how  little  trust  could 


68  JOSHUA. 

be  placed  in  the  promises  of  the  irresolute  man  for  whose 
weak  hand  the  sceptre  was  too  heavy.  But  he  had  taken 
precautions,  and  if  the  elders  of  the  people  could  only  be 
pacified,  the  covenant,  clause  by  clause,  would  be  graven 
on  metal  tablets,  like  every  other  compact  between  Egypt 
and  a  foreign  nation,  and  hung  up  in  the  national  temple 
at  Thebes,  signed  by  Pharaoh  and  by  the  representatives  of 
his  people.  Such  a  document — as  he  had  learnt  from  the 
treaty  of  peace  concluded  with  the  Kheta — secured  and 
prolonged  the  brief  "forever"  of  international  compacts. 
He  had  omitted  nothing  that  might  protect  the  Hebrews 
against  treason  and  faithlessness. 

Never  had  Joshua  felt  stronger,  more  confident,  more 
glad  of  life,  than  when  he  once  more  stepped  into  Pharaoh's 
chariot  to  take  leave  of  his  subalterns.  Even  Baie's  mys- 
terious hints  and  confessions  did  not  disturb  him,  for  he 
was  wont  to  leave  the  cares  of  the  future  to  the  future  day  ; 
but  in  the  camp  a  trouble  awaited  him  which  darkened 
the  present  hour,  for  he  there  heard  to  his  surprise,  wrath, 
and  distress,  that  Ephraim  had  quitted  the  tent  and  stolen 
away,  telling  no  man  whither.  His  hasty  questions 
elicited  the  fact  that  the  lad  had  taken  the  road  to  Tanis, 
so  Joshua  charged  his  faithful  shield-bearer  to  seek  the  boy 
out  in  the  town,  and  if  he  found  him  to  bid  him  follow  his 
uncle  to  Succoth. 

Then,  as  soon  as  the  captain  had  taken  leave  of  his  men, 
he  set  forth,  followed  by  his  old  squire. 

It  was  a  pleasure  to  him  to  see  that  the  Adones*  and 
other  inferior  officers  who  had  served  with  him,  hard 
warriors,  with  whom  he  had  shared  all  he  possessed  in  war 
and  peace,  in  peril  and  privation,  so  frankly  showed  their 
grief  at  parting.  The  tears  rolled  down  the  brown  cheeks 
of  many  a  man  grown  grey  in  battle  as  he  shook  hands 
with  him  for  the  last  time.  Many  a  bearded  lip  was 
pressed  to  the  hem  of  his  garment,  or  his  feet,  and  the 
shining  coat  of  the  Lybian  charger  which  bore  him  through 
the  ranks  with  arched  neck  and  eager  prancing,  though 
firmly  held  in  by  his  rider.  His  own  eyes  were  moist  for 
the  first  time  since  his  mother's  death,  as  shouts  of  honest 
regret  and  farewell  wishes  broke  from  the  manly  hearts  of 
his  troops  and  echoed  along  the  lines.     Never  had  he  felt 


•Answering  to  our  adjutants. 


JOSHUA.  69 

so  deeply  as  at  this  moment.  How  closely  his  heart  was 
knit  to  those  men,  and  how  precious  to  him  was  his  noble 
calling. 

But  the  duty  which  lay  before  him  was  high  and  noble, 
too  ;  and  the  God  who  had  released  him  from  his  oath  and 
made  his  way  plain  to  obey  his  father's  behest,  and  yet  be 
true  and  faithful,  would  perhaps  lead  him  back  to  his  com- 
rades in  arms,  whose  farewell  he  could  fancy  still  rang  in 
his  ears  when  he  was  long  since  out  of  hearing. 

Still,  the  full  glory  of  the  work  intrusted  to  him — the 
exalted  frame  of  mind  of  a  man  who  goes  forth  with  a  high 
moral  purpose  to  fulfill — a  difficult  task — the  perfect  bliss  of 
a  lover  who  flies  with  well-grounded  hopes  to  crown  the 
purest  and  dearest  wish  of  his  heart— did  not  wholly 
possess  him  till  he  had  left  the  town  behind  him  and  was 
hastening,  at  a  brisk  trot,  across  the  level  plain  dotted  with 
palm  groves  and  pools  that  lay  to  the  southeast. 

So  long  as  he  had  kept  his  horse  at  a  moderate  pace 
along  the  streets  of  the  town  and  about  the  harbor,  his 
mind  was  so  full  of  the  immediate  past  and  of  anxiety  for 
the  missing  youth  that  he  had  paid  small  heed  to  the  scene 
around  him  ;  the  numerous  vessels  lying  at  anchor,  the 
motley  throng  of  ships'  captains,  merchants,  sailors  and 
porters  of  the  most  diverse  races  of  Africa  and  Western 
Asia,  who  here  sought  their  fortunes,  or  the  officials,  soldiers 
and  supplicants  who  had  followed  the  court  from  Thebes 
to  Tanis. 

And  he  had  also  failed  to  observe  two  men  of  higher 
rank,  though  one  of  them,  Hornecht,  the  captain  of  the 
bowmen,  had  saluted  him  as  he  passed.  They  were 
standing  back  under  the  gateway  of  the  temple  of  Set  for 
shelter  from  a  cloud  of  dust  blown  along  the  road  by  the 
wind  from  the  desert.  And  as  the  archer  vainly  endea- 
vored to  attract  the  rider's  attention,  Baie,  his  companion, 
said  to  him  :  "  It  matters  not ;  he  will  learn  soon  enough 
where  his  nephew  has  found  refuge." 

"  By  your  command,"  replied  the  soldier.  Then  he 
went  on  eagerly  with  what  he  had  been  saying  :  "  The  lad 
looked  like  a  lump  of  clay  in  the  potters'  shed  when  he 
was  brought  in." 

"  And  no  wonder,"  interrupted  the  priest.  "  He  had 
been  lying  quite  long  enough  in  Typhon's  dust.  But  what 
did  your  steward  want  among  the  soldiers  ?  " 


7o  JOSHUA. 

''My  Adon,  wliom  I  had  sent  out  last  evening,  brought 
word  that  the  poor  lad  was  in  a  high  fever,  so  Kasana 
packed  up  some  .wine  and  her  nurse's  balsam,  and  the  old 
woman  went  with  them  to  the  camp." 

"  To  the  boy  or  to  the  captain  ?  "  asked  the  prophet, 
with  a  cunning  smile. 

"  To  the  sick  lad,"  replied  the  soldier,  decisively,  with 
an  ominous  frown.  But  he  checked  himself  and  went  on, 
apologetically  :    "  Her  heart  is  as  soft  as    wax,  and  the 

Hebrew  boy — you  saw  him  yesterday " 

"  A  handsome  fellow — quite  after  a  woman's  heart," 
laughed  the  priest.  ''And  stroking  the  nephew  down 
cannot  hurt  the  uncle." 

"She  can  hardly  have  had  that  in  her  mind,"  said  Hor- 
necht  sharply.  "  And  the  unembodied  God  of  the  Hebrews, 
it  would  seem,  is  no  less  mindful  of  his  own  than  the 
immortals  you  serve,  for  when  he  led  Hotepoo  to  the  spot 
the   boy  was    very  nigh    unto    death.     And    the   old  man 

would  have  ridden  past  him,  for  the  dust  had  already. " 

"  As  you  said,  turned  him  into  a  lump  of  potter's  clay. 
But  what  then  ?  " 

"  Then  the  old  man  saw  something  golden  gleam  in  the 
grey  mass." 

"And  for  gold  the  stiffest  back  will  bend." 
"Aery  true!     So  did  my  old    man.     The   broad   gold 
bracelet,  glittering  in   the   sun,  saved  the  boy's  life  once 
more." 

"  And  the  best  of  it  is  that  we  have  got  him  alive." 
"Yes.     I,  too,  was  glad  to  see  him  open  his  eyes  again. 
He  quickly  got  better  and  better,  and  the  leech  says  he  is 
like  a  young  cat  and  nothing  will  kill  him.  But  he  is  in  a  high 
fever  and  talks  all  sorts  of  nonsense   in   his  ravings,  which 
even  my  daughter's  old  nurse,  a  woman  from  Ascalon,  dees 
not   understand.     But  she   believes   she    can   distinguish 
Kasana's  name." 

"  A  woman  once  more  at  the  bottom  of  the  mischief." 
"  Cease  jesting,  reverend  father,"  replied    the  warrior, 
and  he  bit  his  lip.     "A  decent  widow  and  this   downy- 
cheeked  boy  !  " 

"  At  his  tender  years,"  the  priest  went  on,  in  the  same 
tone,  "  full-blown  roses  tempt  young  beetles  more  than 
buds  do,  and  in  this  case,"  he  added,  more  gravely, 
"nothing   could   be    more  fortunate.     We  have  Joshua's 


JOSHUA.  71 

nephew  in  our  net,  and  now  it  is  your  part  not  to  let  him 
escape  the  toils." 

"  You  mean,"  cried  the  soldier,  "  that  we  are  to  keep 
him  a  prisoner?  " 

"  As  you  say." 

u-  But  you  esteem  his  uncle  highly?  " 

"  Certainly,  but  higher  still  the  State." 

"  But  this  lad " 

"  He  is  a  most  welcome  hostage.  Joshua's  sword  was  an 
invaluable  weapon ;  but  if  the  hand  that  wields  it  is 
guided  by  that  man  whose  power  over  greater  men  than 
he  we  know  too  well " 

"You  mean  Mesu,  the  Hebrew?" 

"  Joshua  will  wound  us  as  deeply  as  heretofore  our 
enemies." 

"  But  I  heard  you  yourself  say  that  he  was  incapable  of 
treachery." 

"  And  I  say  so  still ;  and  he  has  proved  my  words  this 
very  day.  It  was  simply  to  procure  his  release  from  the 
oath  of  fealty  that  he  this  day  put  his  head  into  the 
crocodile's  jaws.  But  if  Joshua  is  a  lion,  in  Mesu  he  will 
find  his  tamer.  That  man  is  Egypt's  arch  foe,  and  my 
gall  rises  only  to  think  of  him." 

"  The  cries  of  woe  within  these  gates  are  enough  to 
keep  our  hatred  alive." 

"  And  yet  the  feeble  creature  who  fills  the  throne 
postpones  revenge  and  sends  forth  a  pacificator." 

"  With  your  consent,  I  believe  ?  " 

"  Quite  true,"  replied  the  priest,  with  a  sardonic  smile. 
"  We  have  sent  him  forth  to  build  a  bridge  !  A  bridge,  for- 
sooth !  The  dried-up  wisdom  of  an  ancient  sage  recommends 
it,  and  the  notion  is  quite  after  the  heart  of  that  contemptible 
son  of  a  great  father,  who,  for  his  part,  never  shrunk  from 
swimming  the  wildest  whirlpool,  specially  when  revenge 
was  in  view.  Well,  Joshua  may  try  to  build  it.  If  the 
bridge  over  the  torrent  only  brings  him  back  to  us,  I  will 
give  him  a  warm  and  sincere  welcome.  But  Ave,  who 
alone  have  any  spirit  in  Egypt,  must  make  it  our  business 
to  see  that  as  soon  as  this  one  man  has  recrossed  to  our 
shore  the  piers  shall  give  way  under  the  tread  of  the  leader 
of  his  nation." 

"  Yes,  yes.  But  I  fear,  that  we  should  lose  the  captain, 
if  his  people  met  the  fate  they  deserve." 


ft  JOSHUA. 

"  It  may  seem  so." 

"  You  are  wiser  than  I." 

"  But,  still,  in  this  case  you  think  I  am  mistaken." 

"  How  could  I  make  so  bold  ! " 

"  As  a  member  of  the  Council  of  War  it  is  your  duty  to 
express  your  own  opinion,  and  I  regard  it  now  as  my  part 
to  show  you  whither  the  road  leads  along  which  you  have 
come  so  far  with  bandaged  eyes.  Listen,  then,  and  be 
guided  by  what  I  tell  you  when  it  is  your  turn  to  speak  in 
the  assembly.     Ruie,  the  high  priest,  is  very  old." 

"  And  you  already  exercise  half  his  prerogatives." 

"  Would  that  he  might  soon  lay  down  the  rest  of  the 
burden  ! — Not  for  my  own  sake,  I  love  a  contest,  but  for 
the  welfare  of  our  country.  It  has  become  a  deeply- 
rooted  habit  to  accept  as  the  language  of  wisdom  all  that 
age  decides  and  rules \  thus  there  are  few  among  the 
councillors  who  do  not  adhere  to  the  old  man,  and  yet  his 
statecraft,  like  himself,  goes  only  on  crutches.  All  that 
is  good  gets  lost  in  a  fog  under  his  weak  and  half-hearted 
guidance." 

"  On  this  point  you  may  count  on  my  support,"  cried 
the  warrior.  "  I  will  lend  both  hands  to  overthrow  the 
dreamer  on  the  throne  and  his  senseless  counselor." 

At  this  the  prophet  laid  his  finger  to  his  lip  in  warning, 
went  close  up  to  his  companion,  and  said  in  low,  rapid 
accents  :  "  I  am  now  expected  at  the  palace,  so  hearken 
only  to  this  much  :  If  Joshua  effects  a  reconciliation,  his 
people,  the  guilty  with  the  innocent,  will  all  return,  and 
the  guilty  will  be  punished.  Among  the  innocent  we  may 
reckon  the  whole  of  Joshua's  tribe,  the  tribe  of  Ephraim, 
from  old  Nun,  the  father,  down  to  the  boy  in  your 
house." 

"  They  may  be  spared  ;  but  as  Mesu  is  a  Hebrew,  what- 
ever is  done  to  him " 

"  It  will  not  be  done  in  the  open  street ;  and  there  is 
never  any  difficulty  about  sowing  the  seeds  of  discord 
between  two  men  who  have  an  equal  right  to  rule  in  their 
own  circle.  I  will  take  care  that  Joshua  shall  wink  at  the 
death  of  the  other,  and  then  Pharaoh,  whether  his  name 
be  Menephtah  or"  (and  here  his  voice  fell  to  a  murmur) 
"  or  Siptah,  shall  raise  him  to  such  a  giddy  height- — for  he 
deserves  it — that  his  bewildered  eye  will  never  see  any- 
thing we  choose  to  hide  from  him.     There  is  a  dish  of 


JOSHUA.  73 

which  no  man  can  cease  to  eat  who  has  once  tasted  it,  and 
that  meat  we  shall  serve  him  withal." 

"A  dish— meat?" 

"  Power,  Hornecht.  Immense  power.  As  governor  of 
a  province,  or  captain-general  over  all  the  mercenary  troops 
in  Aarsu's  place,  he  will  beware  of  quarreling  with  us.  I 
know  him.  If  we  can  but  make  him  believe  that  Mesu 
has  done  him  a  wrong — and  that  overbearing  man  will  of 
a  certainty  give  us  some  ground —  and  if  he  can  but  be 
convinced  that  the  law  prescribes  such  punishment  as  we 
may  inflict  on  the  magician  and  the  worst  of  his  followers, 
he  will  not  merely  consent,  but  approve." 

"  But  if  the  embassy  should  fail  ?  " 

"  Still  he  will  come  back  to  us  :  for  he  never  would 
break  an  oath.  But  in  the  event  of  his  being  forcibly  de- 
tained by  Mesu,  who  is  capable  of  anything,  the  boy  will 
prove  useful ;  for  Joshua  loves  him,  his  people  set  great 
store  by  his  life,  and  he  is  a  son  of  one  of  their  noblest 
families.  Pharaoh  shall  at  any  rate  threaten  the  lad  ;  we, 
on  our  part,  will  protect  him,  and  that  will  bind  us  more 
closely  than  ever  to  his  uncle,  and  join  him  to  those  who 
are  wroth  with  the  king." 

"  Admirable  !  " 

"  And  we  shall  yet  more  certainly  gain  our  end  if  we 
can  bind  him  by  yet  another  tie,  and  now  I  beseech  you 
to  be  calm,  for  you  are  too  fiery  for  your  years.  In  short, 
our  brother  in  arms,  the  man  who  saved  my  life,  the  best 
warrior  in  all  the  army,  and  who  consequently  must  rise 
to  the  highest  honors,  must  be  your  daughter's  husband. 
Kasana  loves  the  Hebrew — that  I  know  from  my  wife." 

The  frown  once  more  knit  the  archer's  brow  and  he 
struggled  painfully  to  be  calm.  He  felt  that  he  must  sub- 
due his  aversion  to  calling  this  man  his  son-in-law  ;  for 
indeed  he  liked  and  esteemed  him,  though  he  was  averse 
to  his  nationality.  He  could  not,  indeed,  refrain  from 
muttering  a  curse,  but  his  reply  to  the  priest  was  calmer 
and  more  reasonable  than  Baie  had  expected.  If  Kasana 
was  so  possessed  by  demons  as  to  be  drawn  to  this 
stranger,  then  she  should  have  her  way.  But  Joshua,  as  yet, 
had  not  wooed  her.  "And,"  he  added  furiously,  "  by  the  red 
god  Set  and  his  seventy  fellows  !  neither  you  nor  any  other 
man  shall  ever  move  me  to  force  my  child,  who  has  suitors 
by  the  score,  on  a  man  who,  though  he  calls  himself  our 


74  JOSHUA. 

friend,  has  never  yet  found  leisure  to  greet  us  in  our  own 
house  !  Taking  charge  of  the  lad  is  another  matter,  and  I 
will  see  that  he  does  not  escape." 

"  Very  good,  my  friend,"  replied  the  priest,  laying  his 
hand  on  his  companion's  shoulder.  "  You  know  how 
highly  I  value  Joshua,  and  if  he  should  become  your  son- 
in-law  he  will  be  the  most  important  and  indispensable  of 
all  our  colleagues,  and  then  I  fancy  his  nephew  may  grow 
up  to  be  a  valiant  officer  in  our  army." 


CHAPTER  XI. 

The  midnight  sky,  sown  with  innumerable  stars,  spread 
deeply  and  purely  blue  over  the  broad  level  of  the  eastern 
delta  and  the  town  of  Succoth,  which  the  Egyptians  called, 
from  its  presiding  deity,  Pithom,  or  the  city  of  Toom. 
The  March  night  was  drawing  to  its  close.  White  mists 
floated  above  the  canal,  a  work  of  the  Hebrew  bondsmen, 
which  intersected  the  plain  and  watered  the  pasture-land 
and  meadows  which  lay  on  all  sides  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach.  To  the  east  and  north  the  horizon  was 
shrouded  by  the  thick  haze  which  rose  from  the  broad 
lakes  by  the  isthmus.  The  hot,  sandy,  desert-wind,  which 
yesterday  had  blown  over  the  thirsty  grass  ;  the  desert 
border-land  to  the  east,  and  the  houses  and  tents  of  Suc- 
coth, had  died  away  during  the  night,  and  the  chill  hour 
which  in  March  precedes  sunrise,  even  in  Egypt,  was  very 
perceptible. 

Any  one  who  had  in  former  days  arrived  between  mid- 
night and  dawn  at  the  humble  frontier  town  with  its  squalid 
hovels  of  Nile-mud  and  modest  farms  and  dwellings,  could 
not  have  recognized  it  now.  Even  its  one  important  build- 
ing besides  the  splendid  temple  of  the  god  Toom,  the 
spacious  and  fortified  storehouse,  presented  a  strange 
spectacle.  The  long,  white,  lime-washed  walls  gleamed  as 
usual  through  the  dusk  ;  but  it  no  longer  towered  in  death- 
like silence  over  the  sleeping  town  ;  all  about  it  was  stir 
and  bustle.  It  did  duty  as  a  fortress  against  the  plunder- 
ing tribes  of  Shasoos*  who  had  made  their  way  round  the 


Bedouins,  whose  nomad   hordes  swarmed  in  the  desert  adjoining 


-  ueaouins,  wnose  nomaa   nornes  swarmea  in  tne 
Egypt  on  the  east,,  now  regarded  as  belonging  to  Amu. 


JOSHUA.  73 

outworks  of  the  isthmus,  and  an  Egyptian  garrison  dwelt 
within  its  indestructible  walls,  which  could  easily  be  held 
against  very  superior  numbers. 

This  morning  it  might  have  been  supposed  that  the  sons 
of  the  desert  had  taken  it  by  storm ;  but  the  men  and 
women  who  were  so  busy  round  the  walls  and  on  the  broad 
marble  parapet  of  the. huge  building  were  not  Shasoos,  but 
Hebrews.  With  shouts  and  demonstrations  of  joy  they 
were  taking  possession  of  the  thousands  of  measures  of 
wheat  and  barley,  rye  and  doorah,  lentils,  dates  and  onions, 
which  they  had  found  in  those  vast  lofts,  and  had  set  to 
work  before  sunrise  to  empty  the  storehouse  and  pack  the 
contents  into  sacks  and  pitchers  and  skins,  into  kneading- 
troughs,  jars  and  sheets,  let  down  from  the  roof  by  cords 
or  carried  up  and  down  on  ladders. 

The  chiefs  of  the  tribes,  indeed,  took  no  part  in  the  work, 
but  in  spite  of  the  early  hour,  children  of  all  ages  might 
be  seen,  as  busy  as  the  rest,  carrying  as  much  as  they 
could  lift  in  pots  and  bowls — their  mothers'  cooking 
vessels. 

Above,  close  to  the  open  trap-doors  of  the  lofts,  into 
which  the  stars  shone  down,  and  round  the  foot  of  the 
ladders  below,  women  held  lanterns  or  torches  to  light  the 
others  at  their  work.  Flaring  pitch-brands  were  burning 
in  front  of  the  ponderous  closed  doors,  and  armed  shep- 
herds were  pacing  up  and  down  in  the  light  of  the  blaze. 
When,  now  and  again,  there  was  a  sound  within  as  of  a 
stone  thrown,  or  a  kick  against  the  brass-bound  door,  and 
of  threatening  words  in  the  Egyptian  tongue,  the  Hebrews 
outside  were  ready  enough  with  words  of  mockery  and 
scorn. 

On  the  day  of  the  harvest  festival,  at  the  hour  of  the 
first  evening  watch,  certain  swift  runners  had  come  to 
Succoth  and  had  announced  to  the  sons  of  Israel  who 
dwelt  there,  and  whose  numbers  were  twentyfold  as  great 
as  those  of  the  Egyptians,  that  they  had  started  from 
Tanis  early  that  morning,  that  their  people  were  to  depart 
thence  that  night,  and  that  their  kindred  of  Succoth  were 
to  make  ready  to  fly  with  them.  At  this  there  had  been 
great  rejoicing  among  the  Hebrews.  They,  like  their 
fellow  Israelites  of  Tanis,  had  assembled  together  that 
night  of  the  new  moon  after  the  spring  equinox,  when  the 
harvest  festival  began,  to  a  solemn  feast ;  and  the  heads 


76  JOSHUA. 

of  their  households  had  declared  to  them  that  the  day  of 
freedom  was  now  at  hand,  and  that  the  Lord  was  about  to 
lead  them  forth  to  the  promised  land. 

Here,  as  at  Tanis,  many  had  been  faint-hearted  and 
rebellious,  and  others  had  attempted  to  separate  their  lot 
from  that  of  the  rest  and  so  remain  behind  ;  but  here,  too, 
they  had  been  carried  away  by  the  multitude.  And  as 
Aaron  and  Nun  had  addressed  the  people  at  Tanis,  so 
lure  Eleazar,  the  son  of  Aaron,  and  Nahshon  and  Hur, 
the  heads  of  the  tribe  of  Judah,  had  done  the  same.  And 
Miriam,  the  maiden  sister  of  Moses,  had  gone  from  house 
to  house,  and  with  her  glowing  words  had  lighted  and 
fanned  the  flames  of  enthusiasm  in  the  hearts  of  the  men, 
and  persuaded  the  women  that,  with  the  morning's  sun,  a 
day  of  gladness,  plenty  and  freedom  would  dawn  on  them 
and  on  their  children. 

Few  had  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  the  prophetess,  and  there 
was  something  majestic  and  commanding  in  the  presence 
of  this  maiden,  whose  large  black  eyes,  overarched  by 
thick,  dark  eyebrows  which  met  in  the  middle,  seemed  to 
read  the  hearts  of  those  they  gazed  on,  and  to  awe  the 
refractory  with  their  grave  gleam. 

When  the  feast  was  over  each  household  had  retired  to 
rest  with  hopeful  and  uplifted  hearts.  But  the  next  day 
and  the  following  night  and  dawn  had  changed  everything. 
It  was  as  though  the  desert-wind  had  buried  all  courage 
and  confidence  in  the  sand  it  swept  before  it.  The  dread 
of  wandering  through  the  unknown  had  crept  again  into 
every  soul,  and  many  a  one  who  had  brandished  his  staff 
with  the  high  spirit  of  enterprise,  now  clung  obstinately  to 
the  house  of  his  fathers,  to  his  well-tended  garden  plot, 
and  to  the  harvest  in  the  fields,  of  which  no  more  than 
half  was  yet  garnered. 

The  Egyptian  garrison  in  the  fortified  stone  house  had 
not  indeed  failed  to  observe  that  some  unusual  excitement 
prevailed  among  the  Hebrews,  but  they  had  ascribed  it  to 
the  harvest  feast.  The  commander  of  the  fort  had  heard 
that  Moses  desired  to  lead  his  people  forth  into  the 
desert,  there  to  sacrifice  to  their  God,  and  he  had  asked 
for  reinforcements.  But  he  knew  nothing  more,  for  till 
the  morning  when  the  hot  wind  had  arisen  no  Hebrew 
had  betrayed  his  brethren's  purpose..  On  that  day,  how- 
ever, as  the  heat  oppressed  them   more    and   more,   the 


JOSHUA.  77 

greater  grew  the  dread  of  the  terrified  people  of  marching 
ever  onward  through  the  scorching  sandy  and  waterless 
waste.  This  fearful  day  was  but  a  foretaste  of  what  lay 
before  them,  and  when  toward  midday  the  dust  cloud  was 
yet  dense,  and  the  air  more  suffocating,  a  Hebrew  dealer, 
from  whom  the  Egyptian  soldiers  would  purchase  small 
wares,  stole  into  the  storehouse  and  instigated  the  captain 
to  hinder  his  fellow  Hebrews  from  rushing  to  destruction. 

Even  among  the  better  sort  the  voice  of  discontent  had 
been  loud.  Izehar  and  Michael  and  their  sons,  who  dis- 
liked the  power  of  Moses  and  Aaron,  had  gone  from  one 
to  another  and  tried  to  incite  them  to  call  the  elders 
together  again  before  they  set  forth,  and  ask  them  whether 
it  would  not  be  wiser  to  make  terms  with  the  Egyptians. 

While  these  malcontents  had  succeeded  in  assembling 
many  followers,  and  the  traitor  had  gone  to  the  captain  of 
the  Egyptian  garrison,  two  more  runners  had  come  in 
with  a  message  to  say  that  the  multitude  of  the  Hebrew 
fugitives  would  arrive  at  Succoth  between  midnight  and 
dawn. 

Breathless  and  speechless,  bathed  in  sweat  and  bleed- 
ing at  the  mouth,  the  elder  of  the  two  messengers  dropped 
on  the  threshold  of  the  house  of  Aminadab  where  Miriam 
just  now  was  dwelling.  The  exhausted  men  had  to  be 
revived  with  wine  and  food  before  even  the  less  weary  one 
could  speak  coherently  ;  and  then,  in  a  husky  voice,  but 
overflowing  with  thankfulness  and  enthusiasm,  he  had  told 
all  that  had  happened  at  their  departing,  and  how  that  the 
God  of  their  fathers  had  filled  all  hearts  with  His  spirit, 
and  infused  fresh  confidence  into  the  most  faint-hearted. 

Miriam  had  listened  with  flashing  eyes  to  this  inspiring 
tale,  and  then,  flinging  her  veil  about  her  head,  she  bade 
the  servants  of  the  house,  who  had  collected  about  the 
runners,  to  gather  all  the  people  together  under  the  syca- 
more, whose  broad  boughs,  the  growth  of  a  thousand  years, 
sheltered  a  wide  space  from  the  scorching  sun. 

The  hot  wind  was  still  blowing,  but  the  glad  tidings 
seemed  to  have  broken  its  power  over  the  spirits  of  men, 
and  thousands  had  come  pouring  out  to  assemble  under 
the  sycamore.  Miriam  gave  her  hand  to  Eleazar,  the  son  of 
her  brother  Aaron,  sprang  on  to  the  bench  which  stood 
close  to  the  huge,  hollow  trunk  of  the  tree,  and  in  a  loud 
voice  prayed  to  the  Lord,  raising  her  hands  and  eyes  to 
Heaven,  as  though  in  ecstasy  her  eyes  beheld  Him. 


78  josiiua.  v 

Then  she  bade  the  messenger  speak,  and  when  he  had 
once  more  declared  all  that  had  befallen  in  Zoan,  a  loud 
cry  went  up  from  the  multitude.  Then  Eleazar,  the  son  of 
Aaron,  described  in  glowing  words  all  that  the  Lord  had 
done  for  his  people  and  had  promised  to  them  and  their 
children,  and  their  children's  children. 

Every  word  from  the  speaker's  eager  lips  had  fallen  on 
the  hearts  of  his  hearers  like  the  fresh  dew  of  morning  on 
parched  grass.  The  believers  had  shouted  greeting  to  him 
and  to  Miriam,  and  the  faint-hearted  had  found  new  wings 
of  hope.  Izehar  and  Michael  and  their  followers  murmured 
no  more  ;  nay,  most  of  them  had  caught  the  general  en- 
thusiasm, and  when  presently  a  Hebrew  soldier  of  the 
garrison  stole  out  from  the  storehouse  and  revealed  to  them 
that  his  chief  had  been  informed  of  what  was  going  forward, 
Eleazar,  Nahshon,  Hurand  some  others  had  held  a  council 
with  the  shepherds  present,  and  had  urged  them  in  fiery 
language  to  show  now  that  they  were  men  and  not  afraid 
to  fight,  with  God's  mighty  help,  for  their  nation  and  its 
freedom.  There  was  no  lack  of  axes,  staves,  sickles  and 
brazen  pikes,  of  heavy  poles  and  slings,  the  shepherds' 
weapons  against  the  beasts  of  the  desert,  though  of  bows 
and  arrows  they  had  none.  A  strong  force  of  powerful 
herdsmen  had  collected  round  Hur,  and  they  at  once  had 
marched  upon  the  Egyptian  overseers  who  were  in  author- 
ity over  some  hundreds  of  Hebrew  bondsmen  toiling  at 
the  earthworks. 

With  the  cry,  "  They  are  coming  !  Down  with  the  op- 
pressors !  The  Lord  our  God  is  our  captain  !  "  they  threw 
themselves  on  the  Libyan  guard,  scattered  them  abroad 
and  released  the  Hebrew  laborers  and  stone-hewers.  The 
noble  Nahshon  had  set  the  example  of  clasping  one  of  the 
hapless  serfs  as  a  brother  to  his  heart,  and  then  the  others 
embraced  the  men  they  had  set  free,  and  thus  the  shout : 
"  They  are  coming  !  The  Lord  God  of  our  fathers  is  our 
captain  !  "  rang  out  far  and  wide.  When  at  last  the  hand- 
ful of  shepherds  had  swollen  to  a  thousand  Hur  had  led 
them  on  to  meet  the  Egyptian  warriors,  whose  numbers 
were  far  inferior. 

The  garrison,  indeed,  was  but  a  handful ;  the  Hebrew 
host  was  now  beyond  counting. 

The  Egyptian  archers  had  shot  a  flight  of  arrows,  and 
the  slings  of  the  stalwart  Hebrews  had  sent  a  shower  of 


JOSHUA.  79 

deadly  pebbles  among  the  foremost  of  the  foe,  when  a 
trumpet-call  was  heard  calling  the  party  of  soldiers  back 
into  the  shelter  of  the  scarped  walls  and  stout  doors.  The 
Egyptian  chief  had  judged  the  Hebrew  force  too  great,  and 
his  first  duty  was  to  hold  the  fort  till  reinforcements  should 
arrive. 

But  Hur  had  not  been  content  with  this  first  victory. 
Success  had  fanned  the  courage  of  his  followers  as  a  new 
breeze  fans  a  smoldering  fire ;  whenever  an  Egyptian 
showed  himself  on  the  roof  of  the  storehouse  a  smooth 
pebble  hit  him  sharply  from  the  sling  of  a  shepherd  marks- 
man. By  Nahshon's  orders  ladders  were  brought  out.  In 
an  instant  the  besiegers  were  swarming  up  the  building  on 
all  sides,  and  after  a  short  and  bloodless  struggle  the  stores 
were  in  the  hands  of  the  Hebrews.  The  Egyptians  could 
only  keep  possession  of  the  adjoining  stronghold. 

Meanwhile  the  wind  had  fallen.  The  more  furious  of  the 
released  bondsmen  had  piled  straw,  timber  and  brushwood 
before  the  door  of  the  little  fort  into  which  the  Egyptians 
had  retired,  and  they  could  without  difficulty  have  destroyed 
the  foe  to  the  last  man  by  fire  ;  but  Hur,  Nahshon  and 
the  other  wiser  heads  among  the  Hebrews  had  not  permitted 
the  destruction  of  the  victuals  laid  up  in  the  great  store- 
house 

It  had,  indeed,  been  no  easy  matter  to  keep  the  younger 
men  among  the  oppressed  serfs  from  this  deed  of  vengeance  ; 
but  they  all  belonged  to  some  family  in  the  settlement,  and 
as  Hur's  prohibition  was  supported  by  the  commands  of 
their  parents,  they  were  soon  not  merely  pacified  but  ready 
to  help  in  distributing  the  contents  of  the  granaries  among 
the  households,  and  in  loading  them  into  carts  or  on  to 
beasts  of  burden,  to  be  carried  off  by  the  fugitives. 

All  this  took  place  by  the  flaming  light  of  torches,  and  it 
soon  had  assumed  the  character  of  an  orgie,  for  neither 
Nahshon  nor  Eleazar  had  been  able  to  hinder  the  men  and 
women  from  opening  the  wine  skins  and  jars.  However, 
they  succeeded  in  saving  the  larger  part  of  the  precious 
booty  for  the  time  of  need,  and  although  there,  indeed,  too 
many  were  drunk,  the  strong  juice  of  the  grape  and  their 
glee  at  securing  so  much  plunder  moved  the  multitude  to 
thankfulness.  When  at  length  Eleazar  went  among  them 
once  more  to  speak  to  them  of  the  Promised  Land  they 
were  ready  to  listen  to  him  with  uplifted  hearts,  and  joined 
in  a  hymn  of  praise  started  by  Miriam. 


So  JOSHUA. 

As  in  Zoan  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  had  fallen  on  the 
people  in  the  hour  of  their  departing,  so  now  in  Succoth. 
When  some  ancient  men  and  women  who  had  hidden  them- 
selves in  the  temple  of  Zoan  heard  the  song  of  triumph, 
they  came  forth  and  joined  the  rest,  and  packed  up  their 
possessions  with  as  much  glad  hope  and  confidence  in  the 
God  of  their  fathers  as  if  they  had  never  murmured  at 
departing. 

As  the  stars  faded,  joy  and  excitement  increased.  Men 
and  women  went  out  in  troops  on  the  road  to  Tanis  to  meet 
their  brethren.  Many  a  father  led  his  youthful  son  by  the 
hand,  many  a  mother  carried  her  infant  on  her  arm  :  for 
there  were  kindred  to  greet  in  the  coming  multitude,  and 
this  day  must  bring  some  moments  of  solemn  joy  in  which 
all  who  were  near  and  dear  must  share,  and  which  even  the 
youngest  child  would  remember  when  he  himself  had 
children  and  grandchildren. 

None  sought  his  bed  in  the  tent,  hut  or  houses,  for  every 
hand  was  needed  to  finish  the  work  of  packing.  The  crowd 
of  toilers  in  the  storehouse  had  diminished,  and  most  house- 
holds were  furnished  with  as  much  food  as  they  could  carry 
away. 

In  front  of  the  tents  and  hovels  men  and  women,  ready 
to  depart,  were  camping  round  hastily  lighted  fires,  and  in 
the  farm  yards  the  cattle  were  being  driven  together,  and 
such  beasts  and  sheep  as  were  unfit  to  march  were  at  once 
slaughtered.  Outside  many  of  the  houses  men  plied  the 
axe  and  hammer,  and  the  sound  of  sawing  was  heard,  for 
litters  and  couches  had  to  be  hastily  constructed  for  the 
sick  and  feeble.  Here,  again,  chariots  and  wagons  were 
still  being  loaded,  and  husbands  had  no  small  trouble  with 
their  wives  ;  for  it  is  always  hard  to  forfeit  a  possession, 
be  it  great  or  small,  and  a  woman's  heart  often  clings  more 
fondly  to  some  worthless  trifle  than  to  the  most  precious 
object  she  owns.  When  Rebecca  was  eager  to  carry  away 
the  roughly-made  cradle  in  which  her  infant  died  rather 
than  the  beautiful  ebony  chest  inlaid  with  ivory  which  her 
husband  had  taken  in  pledge  from  an  Egyptian,  who  could 
blame  her  ?  Lights  shone  from  every  window  and  tent 
door,  and  torches  or  lanterns  blazed  from  the  roof  of  all  the 
better  dwellings  to  welcome  the  coming  host. 

At  the  feast  which  had  been  held  on  the  night  of  the 
harvest  festival  not  a  table  had  lacked  its  lamb  roast  with 


JOSHUA.  81 

fire,  but  in  this  hour  of  waiting  the  housewives  again  offered 
such  food  as  they  had  ready. 

The  narrow  street  of  the  little  town  was  alive  with  stir; 
the  waning  stars  had  never  before  looked  down  on  such 
joyful  faces,  such  bright  and  eager  eyes,  such  beaming  looks 
of  hope  and  happy  faith. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

When  morning  dawned  all  those  who  had  not  already 
gone  forth  to  greet  the  wanderers  were  gathered  on  the 
roof  of  one  of  the  largest  houses  in  Succoth,  where  the 
coming  Hebrews  were  to  make  their  first  long  halt. 

Hurrying  on  before  them  fleet-footed  men  and  boys, 
one  after  another,  arrived  in  the  town.  Aminadab's  house 
was  their  goal.  It  consisted  of  two  buildings,  one  of  which 
was  inhabited  by  Nahshon,  the  son  of  the  owner,  and  his 
family.  In  the  other  and  larger  part,  besides  the  master 
of  the  house  and  his  wife,  his  son-in-law,  Aaron,  dwelt  with 
his  wife,  children  and  grandchildren,  and  also  Miriam. 

The  old  man,  a  prince  of  the  tribe,  who  had  given  over 
the  duties  connected  with  his  position  to  his  son  Nahshon, 
stretched  out  his  trembling  hands  toward  each  messenger, 
and  listened  to  his  story  with  sparkling  eyes  that  were 
nearly  blinded  by  tears.  He  had  persuaded  his  old  wife 
to  sit  in  the  armchair  in  which  she  was  to  be  carried  after 
their  people,  so  that  she  might  become  accustomed  to  it, 
and  for  the  same  reason  he  was  reclining  in  his. 

When  the  old  woman  heard  the  messengers  announce 
that  the  glorious  future  that  had  been  promised  the  people 
was  now  within  reach,  her  eyes  sought  her  husband  and 
she  cried  :  "  Aye  through  Moses  ! "  For  she  held  the 
brother  of  her  daughter's  husband  in  high  esteem,  and  it 
pleased  her  to  see  his  prophecies  fulfilled.  She  looked 
also  with  pride  on  Aaron,  her  son-in-law  ;  but  above  all 
she  loved  Eleazar,  her  grandson,  in  whom  she  looked  for- 
ward to  the  development  of  a  second  Moses.  She  had 
found  Miriam,  after  the  death  of  her  parents,  a  very  wel- 
come house  companion.  But  the  warm-hearted  old  folks' 
affection  for  the  grave  young  maid  never  grew  to  parental 
tenderness,  and  Elisheba,  Aaron's  busy  wife,  would  not 

6 


8a  JOSHUA. 

share  the  cares  of  the  great  household  with  Miriam;  nor 
did  their  son  Nahshon's  wife  need  her  help,  for  she,  indeed, 
lived  with  her  nearest  of  kin  under  their  own  roof.  But 
the  old  people  were  grateful  to  Miriam  for  her  care  of  their 
grandchild,  Milcah,  the  daughter  of  Aaron  and  Elisheba, 
whom  a  great  misfortune  had  changed  from  a  happy  child 
into  a  melancholy  woman,  for  whom  all  joy  was  dead.  A 
few  days  after  her  marriage  with  a  beloved  husband  he  had 
allowed  himself,  in  a  fit  of  wrath,  to  lift  his  hand  against  an 
Egyptian  tax-gatherer,  who,  when  Pharaoh  was  passing 
eastward  by  Succoth,  wanted  to  drive  off  a  large  herd  of  his 
finest  oxen  for  the  kitchen  of  the  lord  of  two  worlds.  In 
consequence  of  this  self-redress  the  unfortunate  man  had 
been  taken  as  a  State  prisoner  to  work  in  the  mines,  and 
it  was  well  known  that  the  convict  there  must  perish,  body 
and  soul,  of  torturing  overwork.  Through  the  influence 
of  Nun,  Joshua's  father,  the  prisoner's  wife  and  household 
were  spared  from  sharing  this  punishment.  She,  however, 
pined  away  more  and  more,  and  the  only  one  who  under- 
stood the  way  to  rouse  the  pale,  silent  wife  from  her 
brooding  was  Miriam.  To  her  had  the  deserted  woman 
attached  herself,  and  she  followed  Miriam  where  she  prac- 
ticed the  medical  knowledge  that  she  had  learned,  and 
carried  remedies  and  alms  into  the  huts  of  the  poor. 

The  last  messengers,  whom  Aminadab  and  his  wife  re- 
ceived on  the  roof,  painted  in  dark  colors  the  pain  and  mise- 
ry of  wandering  of  which  he  had  been  a  witness,  but  when 
a  soft-hearted  creature  among  them  wept  aloud  at  the  great 
sufferings  the  women  and  children  had  undergone  during 
the  gale  from  the  desert,  and  gloomily  foretold  for  the  future 
horrors  not  less  than  those  he  so  vividly  remembered,  the 
old  man  spoke  words  of  comfort  to  him,  reminding  him  of 
the  almighty  power  of  God.  and  of  the  force  of  habit,  which 
would  also  help  them.  His  wrinkled  face  expressed  sin- 
cere hope,  whereas  in  Miriam's  beautiful  but  stern  features 
there  was  little  expression  of  the  religious  trust  of  which 
youth  usually  has  more  than  age. 

While  the  messengers  went  and  came  she  did  not  stir 
from  the  side  of  the  old  people,  and  left  it  to  her  sister-in- 
law,  Elisheba,  and  her  serving  maids  to  give  refreshments 
to  the  fatigued  wanderers.  She  listened  to  them  intently 
and  with  deep-drawn  breath,  though  it  appeared  to  her 
lhat  all  she  learned  forbode  trouble.     For  she  knew  that 


yostiuA.  %\ 

only  those  who  were  attached  to  her  brothers,  the  leaders 
of  the  people,  would  have  found  their  way  into  the  house 
that  sheltered  Aaron. 

Now  and  then  she  would  ask  a  question,  as  well  as  the  old 
man,  and  as  she  spoke  the  messengers,  who  heard  her  voice 
for  the  first  time,  looked  up  at  her  in  surprise,  for  it  was 
indeed  sweet,  though  singularly  deep. 

After  several  runners  had  assured  her,  in  answer  to  het 
inquiry,  that  Joshua,  the  son  of  Nun,  had  not  come  with 
the  others,  she  dropped  her  head,  and  asked  no  more, 
until  pale  Milcah,  who  followed  her  everywhere,  cast  a 
beseeching  looked  from  her  black  eyes  and  whispered 
"  Reuben,"  the  name  of  her  imprisoned  husband.  Then 
the  young  girl  kissed  the  lonely  child  and  looked  at  her  as 
though  she  had  neglected  something,  and  asked  the  mes- 
sengers with  pressing  eagerness  if  they  had  heard  anything 
of  Reuben,  who  had  been  carried  away  to  the  mines. 
But  only  one  had  heard  from  a  released  criminal  that 
Milcah's  husband  was  alive  in  the  copper  mines  in  the  dis- 
trict of  Beck,  near  Mt.  Sinai.  The  news  encouraged  the 
young  prophetess  to  assure  Milcah  with  vivid  warmth  that 
when  the  people  should  march  eastward  they  would  cer- 
tainly go  to  the  mines  to  release  the  captive  Hebrews 
who  were  there. 

These  were  good  words,  and  Milcah,  who  was  leaning  on 
the  breast  of  her  comforter,  would  gladly  have  heard  more, 
but  those  who  were  looking  out  into  the  distance  from 
Aminadab's  roof  were  now  in  great  excitement.  From  the 
north  came  a  dark  cloud,  and  directly  after  a  wonderful 
mutteringpthen  a  loud  roar,  and  lastly  a  thousand-voiced 
cry  and  shout,  with  bellowing,  neighing  and  bleating,  such 
as  had  never  been  heard  before — and  the  multitudinous 
and  many-voiced  mass  of  men  and  herds  came  rolling 
along  in  that  interminable  stream  which  the  astrologer's 
grandson,  when  watching  from  the  temple  at  Tanis,  had 
taken  for  the  serpent  from  the  nether  world. 

Even  now,  by  the  light  of  dawn,  it  was  easy  to  mistake 
it  for  an  army  of  disembodied  spirits  driven  from  the 
stronghold  of  the  dead ;  for  a  pale  grey  column  of  dust 
reaching  to  the  blue  heavens  swept  before  them,  and  no 
single  figure  could  be  distinguished  among  the  immense 
swarming,  noisy  throng  which  was  enveloped  in  the  cloud. 
Every  now  and  again  the  sunbeams  caught  the  metal  point 


84  yosnuA. 

of  a  iance  or  of  a  brass  vessel  with  a  bright  gleam,  and  the 
loud  shout  of  one  voice  could  be  heard  above  the  others. 

Now  the  foremost  waves  of  the  stream  had  reached 
Aminadab's  court  yard,  in  front  of  which  lay  a  vast  tract  of 
pasture  lands. 

Commands  rang  out,  and  the  multitude  halted  and 
parted  like  a  mountain  lake  which,  flooded  in  spring,  over- 
flows in  brooks  and  tiny  rills.  However,  the  narrow 
streams  soon  reunited,  and,  taking  possession  of  the  broad, 
level  pasture  land  now  wet  with  morning  dew,  the  proces- 
sion of  men  and  beasts  settled  down  to  rest,  and  there  the 
veil  of  dust  that  had  hidden  them  presently  vanished. 

The  road  remained  for  some  time  wrapped  in  the  cloud, 
but  in  the  meadows,  men,  women  and  children  were  to  be 
seen  in  the  blaze  of  the  rising  sun,  with  oxen  and  asses, 
sheep  and  goats,  and  in  a  little  while  tent  after  tent  was 
erected  in  the  fields  around  Aminadab's  and  Nahshon's 
houses.  The  cattle  were  penned  in  with  hurdles  ;  poles 
and  stakes  were  driven  into  the  hard  ground,  awnings 
spread,  cows  fettered,  herds  of  oxen  and  sheep  driven  to 
water  and  fires  lighted.  Long  files  of  women,  carrying 
jars  on  their  heads  which  they  balanced  with  easily  and 
beautifully-curved  arms,  passed  by  to  the  well  behind  the 
old  sycamore,  or  the  bank  of  the  nearest  canal. 

To-day,  as  on  every  other  work  day,  a  humped  ox  turned 
the  water  wheel.  It  irrigated  the  land  that  the  owner  of 
the  oxen  must  leave  on  the  morrow ;  but  the  slave  that 
drove  it  thought  not  of  the  morrow,  and,  as  no  one  hin- 
dered him,  worked  on  in  the]  stolid  way  he  was  used  to, 
watering  the  grass  for  the  enemy  into  whose  hands  it  would 
fall. 

It  was  a  good  hour  before  the  wandering  crowd  had 
all  reached  the  camp,  and  Miriam,  as  she  described  to 
Aminadab — whose  eyes  were  no  longer,  strong  enough  to 
see  at  a  distance — what  was  going  on  down  below,  beheld 
many  a  sight  from  which  she  would  gladly  have  turned 
away  her  eyes. 

She  dared  not  tell  the  old  man  openly  all  she  saw,  for  it 
would  have  destroyed  his  glad  hopefulness. 

She,  who  trusted  with  the  whole  ardor  of  an  inspired 
soul  in  the  God  of  her  fathers,  had  shared  till  yesterday  the 
confidence  of  the  old  man,  although  the  Lord  had  certainly 
granted  her  the   fatal  gift  of  seeing  things  and  hearing 


JOSHUA.  85 

Words  no  one  else  could  comprehend.  This  generally  took 
place  in  her  dreams,  but  also  in  lonely  hours  when  she 
fixed  her  mind  in  meditation  on  the  past  and  the  future. 

The  message  from  the  Most  High  which  Ephraim  had 
carried  to  Joshua  in  her  name  had  come  to  her  from 
invisible  lips  as  she  sat  under  the  sycamore,  thinking  of 
the  exodus,  and  of  the  man  she  had  loved  from  her  child- 
hood ;  and  this  very  morning,  between  midnight  and 
dawn,  as  she  lay  under  the  venerable  tree,  overpowered  by 
fatigue,  it  seemed  to  her  that  she  had  again  heard  the  same 
voice.  The  words  had  vanished  from  her  mind  as  she 
woke,  but  she  knew  that  they  had  been  sad  and  ominous. 

Vague  as  the  warning  had  been,  it  still  haunted  her 
painfully,  and  the  cry  which  came  up  from  the  plain  was 
certainly  no  shout  of  joy  at  having  happily  reached  their 
brethren  and  the  first  stage  of  their  wanderings,  as  the  old 
man  at  her  side  believed ;  nay,  it  was  the  angry  cry  of 
fierce,  ungoverned  men  wrangling  and  fighting  for  a 
pleasant  spot  in  the  meadow  whereon  to  pitch  their  tents, 
or  for  a  good  watering  place  for  their  beasts  by  the  well  or 
on  the  banks  of  the  rivulets. 

Rage,  disappointment  and  despair  were  heard  in  that 
cry ;  and  presently,  looking  round  for  the  spot  whence  it 
rose  the  loudest,  she  beheld  a  woman's  corpse  borne  along 
by  some  bondsmen  on  a  sheet  of  tent  cloth,  and  a  pale 
babe,  touched  by  the  finger  of  death,  which  its  father,  a 
wild-looking  fellow,  carried  in  one  arm,  while  he  shook  his 
clenched  left  hand,  which  was  free,  with  threatening 
gestures  in  the  direction  of  her  brothers. 

And  in  a  moment  she  saw  an  old  man,  bent  with  hard 
labor,  lift  up  his  hand  against  Moses,  whom  he  would  have 
struck  to  the  ground  if  others  had  not  dragged  him  away. 

She  could  no  longer  bear  to  stay  on  the  roof.  Pale  and 
panting  she  flew  out  to  the  camp.  Milcah  followed  her 
closely,  and  wherever  they  met  people  belonging  to  Suc- 
coth  they  were  greeted  with  respect.  The  people  of  Zoan, 
and  those  of  Pha-gos,  whom  they  met  in  the  way,  did  not 
know  Miriam  ;  still,  the  prophetess'  tall  figure  and  noble 
dignity  made  them  move  aside  for  her,  or  reply  to  her 
questions. 

Then  she  heard  terrible  and  evil  tidings,  for  the  multi- 
tude which  had  set  forth  so  joyfully  on  the  first  day  had 
crept  along  in  dejection  and  woe  on  the  second.     The  hot 


86  yosnuA. 

wind  had  broken  the  spirit  and  strength  of  many  who  had 
started  in  high  health,  and  other  sick  folks  besides  the 
bondsman's  wife  and  infant  had  fallen  sick  of  fever  from 
the  choking  dust  and  scorching  heat,  and  the  speaker 
pointed  to  a  procession  making  its  way  to  the  Hebrew 
burying  place  of  Succoth.  Nor  were  those  who  were  being 
borne  to  the  rest  whence  there  is  no  return  women  and 
children  only,  or  such  as  their  kindred  had  brought  away 
sick  rather  than  leave  them  behind  ;  but  likewise  men,  who 
only  yesterday  had  been  strong,  and  who  had  either  sunk 
under  too  heavy  a  burden  or  had  heedlessly  exposed  them- 
selves to  the  sun's  rays  as  they  drove  their  herds  onward. 

In  one  tent  Miriam  found  a  young  mother,  who  lay 
trembling  with  fever,  and  she  bade  Milcah  go  fetch  her 
case  of  medicines.  The  forlorn  wife  gladly  and  quickly 
departed  on  this  errand.  On  her  way  she  stopped  many 
a  passer-by  to  inquire  timidly  for  her  captive  husband,  but 
she  could  get  no  news  of  him.  Miriam,  however,  learned 
from  Nun,  Joshua's  father,  that  Eliab,  thefreedman  he  had 
left  behind,  had  sent  him  word  that  his  son  was  ready  to 
follow  his  people.  She  also  heard  that  Ephraim  had  been 
hurt  and  had  found  shelter  in  Joshua's  tent. 

Was  the  lad  seriously  ill,  or  what  could  it  be  that 
detained  his  uncle  in  Tanis?  The  question  filled  Miriam's 
heart  with  fresh  anxiety,  yet  she  dispensed  help  and  com- 
fort wherever  it  was  possible  with  unflagging  energy. 

Old  Nun's  hearty  greeting  had  cheered  her,  and  no  more 
stalwart,  kind,  or  more  lovable  old  man  could  be  imagined. 
The  mere  sight  of  his  noble  head  with  its  thick,  snow-white 
hair,  and  beard,  and  the  bright  eyes  which  sparkled  with 
youthful  fire  in  the  handsome  face,  had  done  her  good,  and 
when  he  expressed  his  joy  at  seeing  her  once  more  in  his 
vivid  and  winning  manner,  pressing  her  to  his  heart  and 
kissing  her  brow,  she  told  him  that  she  had  bidden  his  son, 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  henceforth  to  bear  the  name  of 
Joshua,  and  had  called  upon  him  to  be  reunited  to  his 
people  and  to  be  the  captain  of  their  host.  Then  she  felt, 
indeed,  as  though  she  had  found  a  father  in  the  place  of 
him  she  had  lost,  and  applied  herself  with  renewed  vigor 
to  the  stern  duties  which  called  her  from  every  side. 

Nor  was  it  a  small  effort  to  the  lofty-minded  maiden  to 
devote  herself  with  loving  kindness  to  her  fellow-creatures, 
whose  wild  and  coarse  demeanor  pained  her  soul.     The 


r  JOSHUA.  87 

women,  indeed,  were  glad  of  help,  but  to  the  men,  who 
had  grown  up  under  the  overseer's  whip,  modesty  and 
consideration  were  unknown.  Their  minds  were  as 
savage  as  their  manners.  As  soon  as  they  knew  who  she 
was  they  reviled  her  because  her  brother  had  tempted  them 
forth  to  leave  endurable  woes  and  rush  to  a  fearful  fate ; 
and  as  she  heard  their  curses  and  blaspheming,  and  saw 
the  fierce  black  eyes  that  glittered  in  those  brown  faces  all 
hung  about  with  rough,  curling  black  hair  and  beard,  her 
heart  shrank  within  her.  And  yet  she  was  able  to  con- 
trol her  fear  and  aversion ;  her  pulses  throbbed  and  she 
was  prepared  for  the  worst,  yet  she  did  but  commend  the 
men  who  were  so  repulsive  to  her  to  the  God  of  their 
fathers  and  His  promises,  though  Womanly  weakness 
prompted  her  to  flee. 

Now,  indeed,  she  understood  what  the  sad,  warning 
voice  forboded  which  she  had  heard  under  the  sycamore, 
and  as  she  stood  by  the  bed  of  a  young  mother  sick  unto 
death  she  lifted  up  her  hands  and  heart  to  the  Most  High, 
and  made  a  vow  that  she  would  dedicate  all  her  powers  to 
fight  against  the  faint-hearted  want  of  faith  and  the  wild 
insubordination  which  threatened  to  bring  her  people  into 
great  straits.  The  Lord  Almighty  had  promised  them  a 
fair  land,  and  the  short-sighted  pride  of  a  few  erring  ones 
should  not  cheat  them  of  it.  And  God  himself  could 
hardly  be  wroth  with  a  race  which  was  content  so  long  as 
the  bodies  were  supplied  with  the  food  they  needed,  and 
which  had  endured  scorn  and  blows  as  unresistingly  as 
cattle.  The  multitude  did  not  yet  understand  that  they 
must  live  through  the  night  of  their  present  woes  to  be 
worthy  of  the  day  which  awaited  them. 

Her  medicines  seemed  to  relieve  the  sick  woman,  and 
she  quitted  the  tent  in  revived  spirits  to  seek  her  bro- 
thers. 

In  the  camp  matters  were  no  better,  and  again  she  wit- 
nessed many  scenes  which  shocked  her  soul  and  made  her 
regret  that  she  had  brought  with  her  the  tender-hearted 
Milcah. 

Certain  evil-doers  among  the  bondsmen,  who  had  laid 
hands  on  the  cattle  and  goods  of  others,  had  been  caught 
and  tied  up  to  a  palm  tree  ;  and  the  ravens  which  had 
followed  the  tribes,  and  had  found  ample  food  by  the  way, 
were  already  croaking  greedily  round  the  hastily  contrived, 
oaJlow.s  tree. 


38  JOSHUA. 

None  knew  who  was  judge  or  executioner  of  the 
sentence ;  but  the  owners  who  were  assisting  in  the  deed 
thought  themselves  fully  justified  and  gloried  in  it.  With 
hasty  steps  and  averted  head,  Miriam  drew  the  trembling 
Milcah  away  and  placed  her  in  the  charge  of  her  uncle, 
Nahshon,  to  be  conducted  home.  Nahshon  was  just  part- 
ing from  the  man  who  shared  with  him  the  rank  of  prince 
of  the  tribe  of  Judah.  This  was  that  same  Hur  who  had 
won  the  first  victory  against  the  Egyptians  at  the  head  of 
the  shepherds,  and  he  now  led  the  maiden  with  happy 
pride  toward  a  man  and  a  youth — his  son  and  grandson. 
They  had  both  been  in  the  service  of  the  Egyptians,  and  at 
Memphis  had  worked  as  goldsmiths  and  brass  founders  to 
Pharaoh.  The  elder,  by  reason  of  his  skill,  had  received 
the  name  of  Uri,  or  the  Great ;  and  the  son  of  this  father, 
Hur's  grandson,  Bezaleel,  was  said  to  be  more  gifted  even 
than  his  father,  though  as  yet  hardly  more  than  a  youth. 

Hur  gazed  at  his  child  and  grandchild  with  justifiable 
pride,  for  although  they  had  both  risen  to  high  esteen 
among  the  Egyptians  they  had  followed  without  demur  at 
their  father's  bidding,  leaving  behind  them  much  to  which 
their  hearts  clung,  and  which  bound  them  to  Memphis,  to 
join  the  wandering  people  and  share  their  uncertain  fate. 

Miriam  warmly  greeted  the  newcomers,  and  the  men 
before  her,  representatives  of  three  generations,  afforded 
a  picture  on  which  no  kindly  eye  could  fail  to  rest  with 
pleasure.  The  grandfather  was  nigh  on  threescore,  but 
although  there  was  much  silver  mingled  with  his  ebony 
black  hair,  he  still  held  himself  as  straight  as  a  young  man, 
and  his  thin,  sharply-cut  features  revealed  an  unbending 
determination,  which  sufficiently  accounted  for  the  readi- 
ness with  which  his  son  and  grandson  had  obeyed  his  call. 
Uri,  too,  was  a  well-grown  man,  and  Bezaleel  a  lad  in  whom 
it  could  be  seen  that  he  had  made  good  use  of  his  nineteen 
years,  and  could  already  stand  firmly  on  his  own  feet.  His 
artist's  eye  sparkled  with  a  peculiar  light,  and  when 
presently  he  and  his  father  took  leave  of  Miriam  to  pay 
their  respects  to  Caleb,  their  grandfather  and  greatgrand- 
father, she  heartily  congratulated  Hur,  her  brother's  truest 
friend,  on  having  such  descendants  to  keep  up  the  noble 
race. 

At  this  Hur,  taking  her  hand,  exclaimed  with  a  grateful 
fervor,  which  sprang  from  his  heart,  and  which  was  usually 


JOSHUA.  89 

foreign  to  the  stern,  imperious  nature  of  this  chief  of  an 
unruly  tribe  of  herdsmen  :  "  Yes,  they  have  ever  been 
good  and  true  and  dutiful.  God  hath  protected  them  and 
granted  me  to  see  this  joyful  day.  Now  it  lies  with  you 
to  make  it  a  high  feast  day.  You  must  long  since  have 
seen  that  my  eye  was  ever  on  you,  and  that  you  are  dear 
to  my  heart.  I  am  a  man,  and  you  as  a  woman  are 
pledged  to  do  all  that  is  best  for  the  people  and  their  wel- 
fare, and  that  constitutes  a  bond  between  us.  But  I  would 
fain  be  bound  to  you  by  a  yet  stronger  tie,  and  whereas 
your  parents  are  dead,  and  I  cannot  go  to  Amram  with 
the  bride  gift  in  my  hand  and  pay  him  for  you,  I  ask 
you  of  yourself  in  marriage,  noble  maiden.  And  before 
you  say  me  yea  or  nay  let  me  tell  you  that  my  son  and 
grandson  are  ready  to  honor  you  as  the  head  of  our  house  as 
they  honor  me,  and  that  I  have  your  brother's  permission 
to  approach  you  as  a  suitor." 

Miriam  had  listened  to  this  proposal  in  speechless  sur- 
prise. She  held  the  man  who  pleaded  so  warmly  in  high 
esteem,  and  was  well  inclined  toward  him.  Notwithstand- 
ing his  ripe  age  he  stood  before  her  in  all  the  strength  of 
manhood  and  lofty  dignity,  and  the  beseeching  of  his 
eyes,  more  wont  to  command,  went  to  her  soul. 

But  she  looked  for  another  with  ardent  longing,  and  her 
only  reply  was  a  regretful  shake  of  the  head. 

But  this  man,  the  head  of  his  tribe,  who  was  accus- 
tomed to  go  straight  to  the  end  of  anything  he  had 
resolved  upon,  was  not  deterred  by  this  silent  rejection, 
and  went  on  more  fervently  than  before  :  "  Do  not  in  one 
moment  overthrow  the  cherished  hopes  of  many  years  ! 
Is  it  my  age  that  repels  you  ?  " 

And  once  more  Miriam  shook  her  head.  But  Hur 
again  spoke  : 

"  That,  indeed,  was  what  troubled  me,  although  in 
strength  and  vigor  I  could  measure  myself  against  many  a 
younger  man.  And  if  you  could  but  overlook  your  suitor's 
grey  hairs  you  might  perhaps  bring  yourself  to  consider  his 
request.  Of  the  truth  and  devotion  of  my  suit  I  will  say 
nothing.  No  man  sues  to  a  woman  at  my  age  unless  his 
heart  urges  with  great  power.  But  there  is  another  thing 
which  to  me  seems  of  no  less  weight.  I  would  fain,  as  I 
have  said,  take  you  home  to  my  house.  There  it  stands  ; 
it  is  strong  and  roomy  enough ;  but  from  to-morrow  a 


90  JOSHUA. 

tent  must  be  our  roof,  a  camp  our  dwelling  place,  and 
wild  deeds  will  be  done  there.  Look  only  on  the  hapless 
creatures  they  have  bound  to  that  palm  tree.  There  is  no 
judge  to  try  the  accused  :  the  hasty  impulse  of  the  people 
i>  their  only  law.  No  one  is  secure  even  of  his  life,  least 
of  all  a  woman,  however  strong  she  may  feel  herself,  who 
casts  in  her  lot  widi  those  against  whom  the  multitude 
murmur.  Your  parents  are  dead,  your  brothers  cannot 
protect  you,  and  if  the  multitude  should  lay  hands  on 
them  the  stone  over  which  you  hoped  to  cross  the  flood 
will  drag  you  to  the  bottom." 

"  And  if  I  were  your  wife,  drag  you  with  me,"  replied 
Miriam,  and  her  thick,  black  brows  were  gloomily  knit. 

"  That  danger  I  am  prepared  to  face,"  answered  Hur. 
"  Our  lot  is  in  the  hands  of  the  Lord  ;  mv  faith  is  as  firm 
as  yours,  and  behind  me  stands  the  whole  tribe  of  Judah, 
which  follows  me  and  Nahshon  as  a  flock  follows  the 
shepherd.  Old  Nun  and  the  Ephraimites  are  faithful  to 
us,  and  if  it  came  to  the  worst  it  would  be  our  duty  to 
perish  as  God  wills,  or,  after  reaching  the  Promised  Land, 
to  wait  in  patience  for  our  latter  end  in  faithful  union,  in 
wealth  and  power." 

At  this  Miriam  looked  him  full  and  fearlessly  in  the 
eyes,  and  laid  her  hand  on  his  arm,  saying  : 

"  Such  words  are  worthy  of  the  man  I  have  revered 
from  my  childhood,  the  father  of  such  sons.  Yet  I  cannot 
be  your  wife." 

"You  cannot  ?  " 

"  Nay,  my  lord,  I  cannot." 

"  A  hard  saying,  but  I  must  be  content,"  replied  Hur, 
and  he  bowed  his  head  sadly. 

But  Miriam  went  on  : 

"  Nay,  Hur,  you  have  a  right  to  ask  the  reason  of  my 
refusal,  and  inasmuch  as  I  honor  you  I  owe  you  the  simple 
truth.  My  heart  is  set  on  another  man  of  our  people.  I 
first  saw  him  while  I  was  but  a  child.  Like  your  son  and 
grandson,  he  joined  himself  to  the  Egyptians.  But  he, 
like  them,  has  heard  the  call  of  God  and  of  his  father,  and 
if  he,  like  Uri  and  Bezaleel,  has  obeyed  them,  and  still 
desires  to  have  me  to  wife,  I  will  go  to  him  if  it  be  the 
Lord's  will,  whom  I  serve  and  who  grants  me  of  1 1  is  g  race 
to  hear  His  voice.  But  I  will  ever  think  thankfully  of 
jrou."     As  she  spoke  the  girl's  large  eyes  glistened  through 


JOSHUA.  91 

tears,  and  her  grey-haired  suitor's  voice  quivered  as  he 
asked  her  shyly  and  hesitatingly  : 

"  But  if  the  man  you  wait  for — I  do  not  seek  to  know 
his  name — if  he  turns  a  deaf  ear  to  the  call  that  has  gone 
forth  to  him,  if  he  refuses  to  throw  in  his  lot  with  the 
uncertain  lot  of  his  nation  ?  " 

"  That  can  never  be  !  "  cried  Miriam ;  but  a  cold  chill 
ran  through  her  veins,  as  Hur  exclaimed  : 

"  There  is  no  never,  no  certainty  save  with  God.  And 
if  in  spite  of  your  high  faith,  things  fall  out  other  than 
you  expect — if  the  Lord  deny  you  the  desire  which  first 
grew  up  in  your  heart  when  you  were  yet  but  a  foolish 
child  ?  " 

"  Then  will  He  show  me  the  right  way  by  which  He 
hath  led  me  until  now." 

"  Well,  well,"  said  Hur,  •'  build  on  that  foundation,  and 
if  the  man  of  your  choice  is  worthy  of  you  and  becomes 
your  husband  my  soul  shall  rejoice  without  envy,  if  the 
Lord  shall  bless  your  union.  But  if,  indeed,  God  wills  it 
otherwise,  and  you  shall  crave  a  strong  arm  on  which  to 
lean,  here  am  I.  The  heart  and  the  tent  of  Hur  will  be 
ever  open  to  you." 

He  hurried  away.  Miriam  gazed  after  him,  lost  in 
thought,  till  the  proud  and  princely  figure  was  out  of 
sight. 

Then  she  made  her  way  back  toward  the  home  of  her 
protectors  ;  but  as  she  crossed  the  way  leading  to  Tanis 
she  paused  to  look  northward.  The  dust  was  laid  and 
the  road  could  be  traced  far  into  the  distance  ;  but  he,  the 
one  who  should  be  riding  toward  her  and  toward  his 
people,  was  not  in  sight.  It  was  with  a  heavy  sigh  and 
drooping  head  that  she  went  on  her  way,  and  the  sound 
of  her  brother  Moses,  deep  voice  made  her  start  as  she 
reached  the  sycamore. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Aaron  and  Eleazar  in  stirring  words  had  reminded  the 
murmuring  disheartened  people  of  the  might  and  promises 
of  their  God.  Those  who  had  stretched  themselves  out 
quietly  to  their  rest,  after  being  refreshed  by  drink  and  food, 


92  JOSHUA. 

found  their  lost  confidence  revived.  The  freed  bond* 
men  remembered  the  cruel  slavery  and  degrading  blows 
from  which  they  had  escaped,  acknowledging,  as  the 
others  did,  that  it  was  by  God's  providence  that  Pharaoh 
was  not  pursuing  them.  The  rich  supplies,  which  were 
still  being  distributed  from  the  plundered  storehouse,  con- 
tributed not  a  little  to  reanimate  their  courage,  and  the 
serfs  and  lepers — for  they,  for  the  most  part,  had  marched 
forth  also,  and  were  resting  outside  the  camp — in  short, 
all  those  for  whose  maintenance  Pharaoh  had  provided, 
knew  that  for  some  time  they  were  secure  from  need  and 
want.  Nevertheless  there  was  no  lack  of  discontented 
spirits,  and  now  and  then,  without  any  one  knowing  who 
had  started  the  question,  it  was  asked  if  it  would  not  be 
wiser  to  turn  back  and  trust  to  Pharaoh's  forgiveness. 
Those  who  uttered  it  did  so  secretly,  and  had  often  to  take 
a  sharp  or  threatening  answer. 

Miriam  had  come  out  to  meet  her  brothers  and  shared 
their  anxiety.  How  quickly  had  the  spirit  of  the  people 
been  broken  in  this  short  march  by  the  hot  desert  wind  ! 
How  discontented,  how  distrustful,  how  hostile  they  had 
shown  themselves  at  the  very  first  adversity.  How 
unbridled  in  following  their  own  wild  impulses  ! 

When  they  had  been  called  together  for  prayer  on  the 
way,  a  short  time  before  sunrise,  some  had  turned  toward 
the  sun  as  it  rose  in  the  east,  some  had  pulled  out  images 
of  the  gods  which  they  had  brought  with  them,  and  others 
again  had  fixed  their  eyes  on  the  acacia  trees  by  the  road, 
which  were  regarded  as  sacred  to  many  of  the  provinces 
by  the  Nile.  What,  indeed,  could  they  know  of  the  God 
who  had  commanded  them  to  leave  so  much  behind  them 
and  to  carry  such  a  burden  ?  Many  of  them  were  even 
now  quite  disheartened,  and  as  yet  they  had  faced  no  real 
danger,  for  Moses  had  purposed  to  lead  his  people  by  the 
direct  road  to  Philistia  into  the  Promised  Land  of  Pales- 
tine, but  their  demeanor  forced  him  to  give  up  this  place 
and  to  think  of  another. 

In  order  to  reach  the  highway  which  connected  Asia 
and  Africa,  it  was  necessary  to  pass  over  the  isthmus 
which  really  divides  rather  than  it  unites  the  two  conti- 
nents ;  but  it  was  well  defended  from  invaders,  and  the 
way  was  secure  from  fugitives,  partly  by  natural  and 
partly  by  artificial  obstacles.      A  succession  of  deep  lakes 


JOSHUA.  93 

broke  the  level  land,  and  where  these  did  not  check  the 
wanderers'  march,  strong  fortifications  towered  up  in 
which  lay  Egyptian  troops  ready  to  fight. 

Khetam,  or,  as  the  Israelites  called  it,  Etham,  was  the 
name  of  this  range  of  forts,  and  the  nearest  and  strongest 
could  be  reached  in  a  few  hours  by  the  tribes  who  were 
marching  from  Succoth. 

With  the  people  full  of  the  spirit  of  their  God,  inspired 
and  prepared  for  the  worst,  freed  from  their  chains  and 
rejoicing  in  their  newly  gained  liberty,  rushing  along 
toward  the  Promised  Land,  Moses  and  the  other  leaders 
with  him  had  intended  that,  like  a  mountain  torrent  burst- 
ing through  dams  and  sluices,  they  should  annihilate  and 
destroy  all  who  came  in  their  way.  With  this  inspirited 
throng,  whose  bold  advances  might  achieve  the  highest 
triumphs,  and  to  whom  cowardly  retreat  could  have  meant 
nothing  but  death  and  destruction,  they  had  expected  to 
overthrow  the  works  of  the  Etham  frontier  like  a  pile  of 
brushwood.  But  now  that  a  few  short  hours  of  weariness 
and  suffering  had  quenched  the  fire  in  their  souls,  now 
that  on  every  side  could  be  seen  for  every  happy,  elated 
man,  two  indifferent  and  five  discontented  or  frightened, 
the  storming  of  the  Etham  lines  would  have  cost  streams 
of  blood  and  would  have  risked  all  that  they  had  already 
gained. 

The  conquest  of  the  little  garrison  in  the  storehouse  at 
Pithom  happened  under  such  favorable  circumstances  as 
they  could  not  expect  to  occur  again,  and  so  the  original 
plan  had  to  be  altered  and  an  attempt  made  to  get  round 
the  fortress.  Instead  of  marching  north-east  the  people 
turned  toward  the  south. 

These  things  were  discussed  under  the  sycamore  tree  in 
front  of  Aminadab's  house,  and  Miriam  listened,  a  mute 
witness. 

When  the  men  held  counsel,  the  women,  and  she  also, 
had  to  be  silent,  but  she  found  it  hard  to  hold  her  peace 
when  they  came  to  the  conclusion  that  they  must  avoid 
attacking  the  forts,  even  if  Joshua,  the  man  skilled  in  war 
and  chosen  by  the  Lord  Himself  to  be  the  sword  of  Jeho- 
vah, should  return. 

"  Of  what  avail  is  the  bravest  leader  when  there  is  no 
army  to  obey  him  ?  "  cried  Nahshon,  the  son  of  Amina- 
dab,  and  the  rest  had  been  of  his  opinion. 


g4  JOSHUA* 

When  at  length  the  assembled  elders  parted  Moses  took 
leave  of  his  sister  with  brotherly  tenderness.  She  knew 
that  he  had  it  in  his  mind  to  go  forth  into  fresh  dangers. 
and  in  the  modest  way  she  always  used  when  she  ventured 
to  speak  to  the  man  who,  in  body  and  mind,  was  so  far 
above  all  others,  she  told  him  of  her  fears.  He  looked 
her  in  the  face  with  kindly  reproof,  and  with  right  hand 
pointed  to  heaven.  She  understood  him,  and  kissed  his 
hand  with  grateful  warmth,  saying:  "Thou  art  under  the 
shield  of  the  Most  High,  and  I  fear  no  longer." 

lie  pressed  his  lips  to  her  brow,  and  taking  her  tablets 
from  her,  wrote  on  them  a  few  words  and  cast  them  into 
the  hollow  stem  of  the  sycamore. 

••  For  Hosea — nay,  for  Joshua,"  said  he,  "  if  he  should 
come  while  I  am  absent.  The  Lord  hath  great  things  for 
him  to  do  when  he  shall  have  learned  to  trust  in  Him  rather 
than  in  the  mighty  ones  of  die  earth." 

He  quitted  her  ;  but  Aaron,  who,  as  being  the  elder, 
was  the  head  of  the  family,  remained  with  Miriam  and  told 
her  that  a  worthy  man  had  asked  for  her  to  wife  ;  she 
turned  pale  and  answered  :  "  I  know  it." 

He  looked  her  in  the  face  much  surprised,  and  went  on 
in  a  tone  of  grave  warning  : 

"  It  must  be  as  you  will,  but  it  would  be  well  that  you 
should  reflect  that  your  heart  belongs  to  God  and  to  your 
people  ;  the  man  whom  you  marry  must  be  as  ready  as 
yourself  to  serve  them  both,  for  two  become  one  when 
they  are  wed,  and  if  the  highest  aim  of  one  is  as  nought  to 
the'  other  they  are  no  more  one,  but  two.  The  voice  of 
the  senses  which  called  them  together  is  presently  silent, 
and  what  remains  is  a  gulf  between  them." 

With  these  words  he  left  her,  and  she,  too,  turned  to 
quit  the  assembly,  for  perhaps  now,  on  the  eve  of  their 
departing,  she  might  be  needed  in  the  house  of  which  she 
was  an  inmate  ;  but  a  new  incident  arose  to  keep  her  by 
the  sveamore,  as  if  she  were  bound  and  fettered  to  it. 

What  could  the  packing  matter,  and  the  care  for  perish- 
able treasure  and  worldly  goods,  when  questions  here  were 
raised  which  stirred  her  whole  soul.  There  was  Klisheba, 
Nahshon's  wife,  and  any  housewife  or  slave  woman  could 
do  the  home  work  ;  here  there  were  other  matters  to  de- 
cide, the  weal  or  woe  of  the  nation. 

Certain  men  of  the  better  sort  from  among  the  people 


JOSHUA.  95 

had  by  this  time  joined  themselves  to  the  elders  under  the 
sycamore,  but  Hur  had  depared  with  Moses. 

Now  Uri,  the  son  of  Hur,  came  into  the  group.  He,  as 
a  metal  worker,  but  just  come  from  Egypt,  had  at  Mem- 
phis had  dealings  with  many  about  the  court,  and  he  had 
heard  that  the  king  would  be  willing  to  relieve  the  Hebrews 
of  their  heaviest  burdens,  and  to  grant  them  new  privi- 
leges, if  only  Moses  would  entreat  the  God  he  served  to 
be  favorable  to  Pharaoh,  and  persuade  the  people  to  return 
so  soon  as  they  should  have  sacrificed  in  the  desert.  So 
the  assembly  now  proceeded  to  discuss  whether  envoys 
should  not  be  sent  to  Tanis  to  treat  once  more  with  the 
"  High  Gate." 

This  proposal,  which  he  had  not,  indeed,  dared  to  lay 
before  his  father,  had  been  made  by  Uri  in  all  good  faith 
to  the  assembled  elders,  and  he  hoped  that  its  acceptance 
might  save  the  Hebrews  much  suffering.  But  hardly  had 
he  ended  his  very  clear  and  persuasive  speech  when  old 
Nun,  Joshua's  father,  who  had  with  difficulty  held  his 
peace,  started  up  in  wrath. 

The  old  man's  face,  usually  so  cheerful,  was  crimson 
with  anger,  and  its  deep  hue  was  in  strange  contrast  with 
the  thick,  white  hair  which  hung  about  it.  Only  a  short 
while  since  he  had  heard  Moses  reject  similar  proposals 
with  stern  decision  and  the  strongest  arguments  ;  and  now 
must  he  hear  them  repeated.  And  by  many  signs  of 
approval  on  the  part  of  those  assembled  he  saw  that  the 
great  undertaking  for  which  he,  more  than  any  one,  had 
staked  and  sacrificed  his  all,  was  imperilled.  It  was  too 
much  for  the  vehement  old  man,  and  it  was  with  a  flashing 
eye  and  threatening  fists  that  he  exclaimed  : 

"  What  words  are  these  ?  Shall  we  reknit  the  ends  of 
the  cord  which  the  Lord  our  God  hath  cut  ?  Are  we  to 
tie  it,  do  you  say,  with  a  knot  so  loose  that  it  will  hold 
just  so  long  as  the  present  mood  of  an  irresolute  weakling, 
who  has  broken  his  word  to  Moses  and  to  us  a  score  of 
times  ?  Would  you  have  us  return  into  the  cage  from 
which  the  Almighty  hath  released  us  by  a  miracle  ?  Are 
we  to  stand  before  the  Lord  our  God  as  false  debtors  ? 
Shall  we  take  the  false  gold  which  is  offered  us  rather 
than  the  royal  treasure  which  He  hath  promised  us  ?  Oh, 
man  !  You  who  have  come  from  the  Egyptian  !  I  would 
I  could " 


96  JOSHUA. 

And  the  fierce  old  man  shook  his  fist ;  but  before  he 
had  spoken  the  threat  which  was  on  his  lips  he  ceased  and 
his  arm  fell,  for  Gabriel,  the  elder  of  the  tribe  of  Zebulon, 
called  out  : 

"  Remember  your  own  son,  who  at  this  day  is  still  con- 
tent to  dwell  among  the  enemies  of  Israel  I" 

The  blow  had  told;  but  it  was  only  for  a  moment  that 
the  fiery  patriarch's  high  spirit  was  quelled.  Above  the 
hubbub  of  voices  which  rose  in  disapproval  of  Gabriel's 
malice,  and  the  lesser  number  who  took  part  with  him, 
Nun's  was  heard  :  "  It  is  by  reason  of  the  fact  that,  besides 
the  loss  of  the  ten  thousand  acres  of  land  which  I  have  left 
behind,  I  may,  perchance,  have  also  to  sacrifice  my  noble 
son  in  obedience  to  the  word  of  the  Lord,  that  I  have  a 
right  to  speak  my  mind."  His  broad  breast  heaved  sorrow- 
fully as  he  spoke,  and  now  his  eyes,  beneath  their  thick, 
white  brows,  fell  with  a  milder  gleam  on  the  son  of  Hur, 
who  had  turned  pale  under  this  violent  address,  and  he 
went  on  :  "This  man  is  indeed  a  good  son  and  obedient 
to  his  father,  and  he,  too,  has  made  a  sacrifice,  for  he  has 
come  away  from  his  work,  in  which  he  won  great  praise, 
and  from  his  home  in  Memphis,  and  the  blessing  of  the 
Lord  rest  upon  him  !  But  inasmuch  as  he  has  obeyed  that 
bidding,  he  ought  not  to  try  to  undo  that  which,  by  the 
Lord's  help,  we  have  begun.  And  to  you,  Gabriel,  I  say 
that  my  son  is  of  a  surety  not  content  to  dwell  with  the 
enemy ;  nay,  that  he  will  obey  my  voice  and  join  himself 
to  us,  even  as  Uri,  the  first-born  son  of  Hur.  Whatever 
keeps  him  back,  it  is  some  good  reason  of  which  Joshua  need 
not  be  ashamed,  nor  I,  his  father.  I  know  him.  I  trust 
him  for  that ;  and  he  who  looks  for  aught  else  from  him 
will  of  a  surety,  by  my  son's  dealings,  sooner  or  later,  be 
shown  to  be  a  liar." 

He  ceased,  pushing  his  white  hair  back  from  his  heated 
brow  ;  and  as  no  more  contradicted  him  he  turned  again 
to  the  metal  worker,  saying  with  hearty  kindness  :  "  It  was 
not  your  meaning,  Uri,  which  roused  my  ire.  Your  will  is 
good ;  but  you  have  measured  the  greatness  and  glory  of 
the  God  of  our  fathers  by  the  standard  of  the  false  gods  of 
the  Egyptians,  who  perish  and  revive  again,  and,  as  Aaron 
has  said,  are  but  a  small  part  of  Him  who  is  in  all  and 
through  all  above  all.  Till  Moses  showed  me  the  way  I, 
too,  believed  I  was  serving  the  Lord  by  slaying  an  ox,  a 


JOSHUA.  97 

lamb  or  a  goose  on  an  altar,  as  the  Egyptians  do,  and 
now,  if  your  eyes  are  opened,  as  mine  were  by  Moses,  to 
behold  Him  who  rules  the  world  and  who  hath  chosen  us 
to  be  His  people,  you,  like  me  and  all  of  us — yea,  and  ere 
long  my  own  son — will  feel  the  fire  kindled  for  sacrifice  in 
your  own  hearts — a  fire  that  never  dies  out,  and  consumes 
everything  which  does  not  turn  to  love  and  truth  and  faith 
and  worship  of  Him.  For  the  Lord  hath  promised  us  great 
things  by  the  word  of  His  servant  Moses  :  Redemption 
from  bondage,  that  we  may  be  free  lords  and  masters 
henceforth  on  our  own  soil  and  in  a  fair  land  which  is  ours 
and  our  children's  forever  !  We  are  on  our  way  to  this 
gift,  and  whosoever  would  delay  us  on  our  way,  or  desires  us 
to  return  and  crawl  back  into  the  net  whose  meshes  of 
brass  we  have  burst  asunder,  counsels  the  people  to  become 
as  sheep  who  leap  back  into  the  fire  from  which  they  have 
escaped.  I  am  not  wroth  with  you  now,  for  I  read  in  your 
face  that  you  know  how  greatly  you  have  erred,  but  hereby 
ye  all  shall  know  that  I  heard  from  the  lips  of  Moses  but  a 
few  hours  since  that  whosoever  shall  counsel  a  return  or  any 
covenant  with  the  Egyptians,  he  himself  will  accuse  as 
condemning  the  Lord  Jehovah  our  God,  and  as  the  des- 
troyer and  foe  of  his  people." 

At  this  Uri  went  up  to  the  old  man,  held  out  his  hand, 
and,  deeply  persuaded  in  his  heart  of  the  justice  of  his 
reproof,  exclaimed  :  "  No  dealings,  no  covenant  with  the 
Egyptians  !  And  I  am  grateful  to  you,  Nun,  for  having 
opened  my  eyes.  The  hour  is  at  hand  when  you,  or 
another  who  stands  nearer  to  Him  than  I,  shall  teach  me 
to  know  more  perfectly  the  God  who  is  my  God  likewise." 

Hereupon  he  went  away  with  the  old  man,  who  leaned 
his  arm  upon  his  shoulder. 

Miriam  had  listened  with  breathless  eagerness  to  Uri's 
last  appeal,  and  when  he  gave  utterance  to  the  wish  to 
know  more  perfectly  the  God  of  his  fathers,  her  eyes  shone 
with  inspired  ecstasy.  She  felt  that  her  spirit  was  full  of 
the  greatness  of  the  Most  High,  and  that  she  had  the  gift  of 
speech  wherewith  to  make  known  to  others  the  knowledge 
she  herself  possessed.  But  the  custom  of  her  people 
required  her  to  be  silent.  Her  heart  burned  within  her,  and 
when  she  had  again  mingled  with  the  crowd,  and  assured 
herself  that  Joshua  was  not  yet  come,  as  it  was  now  dusk 
she  went  up  to  the  roof,  there  to  sit  with  the  others. 

7 


98  yosmw. 

None  seemed  to  have  missed  her,  not  even  poor,  forlorn 
Milcah,  and  she  felt  herself  alone  indeed  in  this  house.  If 
Joshua  might  but  come.  If  only  she  might  find  a  strong 
breast  on  which  to  lean,  if  this  sense  of  being  a  stranger 
among  her  kindred  might  have  an  end — this  useless  life 
under  the  roof  which  she  must  call  her  home,  although  she 
had  never  felt  at  home  there  ! 

Moses  and  Aaron,  her  brothers,  had  departed,  and  had 
taken  with  them  Hur's  grandson  ;  and  she,  who  lived  and 
breathed  only  for  her  people  and  their  well-being,  had  not 
been  found  worthy  to  be  told  more  particularly  whither 
they  were  faring,  or  to  what  end.  Ah  !  why  had  the 
Almighty,  to  whom  she  had  devoted  herself,  body  and  soul, 
given  her  the  spirit  and  mind  of  a  man  in  the  form  of  a 
woman  ? 

She  waited  awhile  as  if  to  see  whether,  of  all  this  circle 
of  kind  hearts,  her  kith  and  kin,  there  was  not  one  to  love 
her,  listening  to  'die  chatter  of  old  and  young  who  sur- 
rounded her  ;  but  Eleazar's  children  gathered  about  their 
grandparents,  and  she  had  never  had  the  art  of  attracting 
the  little  ones.  Dame  Elisheba  was  directing  the  slaves 
who  were  putting  the  finishing  touches  to  the  baggage. 
Milcah  sat  with  a  cat  in  her  lap,  gazing  into  vacancy,  and 
the  bigger  lads  were  out  of  doors.  No  one  noticed  her  or 
spoke  to  her. 

Bitter  sorrow  fell  upon  her.  After  eating  her  supper 
with  the  others,  making  a  great  effort  not  to  cast  the  gloom 
of  her  own  dark  mood  over  the  happy  excitement  of  the 
children,  who  looked  forward  with  great  glee  to  their 
departing,  she  felt  she  must  get  out  into  the  free  air. 

Veiling  her  face  closely,  she  crossed  the  camp  alone. 
But  the  scenes  she  saw  there  were  ill-fitted  to  lift  the  burden 
that  weighed  upon  her.  It  was  still  astir,  and  although 
here  and  there  pious  songs  rang  out,  full  of  triumph  and 
hope,  there  was  more  quarreling  to  be  heard,  and  rebellious 
uproar.  Whenever  threats  or  reviling  against  her  great 
brothers  met  her  ear  she  hastened  forward,  but  she  could 
not  run  away  from  her  anxiety  as  to  what  might  happen  at 
sunrise,  when  the  people  were  to  set  forth,  if  the  malcon- 
tents gained  the  upper  hand.  She  knew  that  the  multitude 
must  necessarily  move  onward  ;  still  she  had  never  been 
able  to  subdue  her  fears  of  Pharaoh's  mighty  army.  It  was 
personified  to  her  in  Joshua's  heroic  form.     1{  the  Lord  of 


JOSHUA.  99 

Hosts  Himself  were  not  with  the  ranks  of  these  «  retched 
bondsmen  and  shepherds  who  were  squabbling  and  fighting 
all  about  her,  how  should  they  be  able  to  stand  againsUhe 
tried  and  well-armed  troops  of  Egypt,  with  their  chariots 
and  horses  ? 

She  had  heard  that  men  had  been  placed  on  guard  at 
every  part  of  the  camp,  and  ordered  to  blow  a  blast  on  a 
horn  or  drum  or  a  metal  plate  in  the  event  of  the  enemy's 
approach,  till  the  Hebrews  should  have  come  together  at 
the  spot  where  the  alarm  should  be  first  sounded. 

She  stood  for  some  time  listening  for  some  such  call,  but 
yet  more  eagerly  for  the  hoofs  of  a  solitary  horse,  the  firm 
tread  and  the  deep  voice  of  the  warrior  for  whom  she 
longed. 

Looking  for  him  she  made  her  way  to  the  northern  side 
of  the  camp  next  the  road  to  Tanis,  where,  too,  by  Moses' 
order  the  larger  portion  of  the  fighting  men  had  pitched 
their  tents.  Here  she  had  hoped  to  find  nothing  but  con- 
fidence ;  but  as  she  listened  to  the  talk  of  the  men-at-arms, 
who  sat  in  large  parties  round  the  watch-fires,  she  shuddered 
to  hear  that  Uri's  counsel  had  reached  even  to  them. 
Many  of  them  were  husbands  and  fathers,  had  left  a  house 
or  a  plot  of  land,  a  business  or  an  office,  and  although 
many  spoke  of  the  commands  of  the  Lord,  and  of  the  fair 
land  promised  them  by  God,  others  were  minded  to  turn 
back.  She  would  gladly  have  gone  among  them  and  have 
called  upon  these  blind  hearts  to  obey  the  bidding  of  the 
Lord  and  of  her  brother.  But  here  again  she  must  keep 
silence.  However,  she  might  at  any  rate  listen,  and  she 
was  most  tempted  to  linger  where  she  might  expect  to  hear 
rebellious  words  and  counsels. 

There  was  a  mysterious  charm  in  this  painful  excitement. 
She  felt  as  though  she  had  been  robbed  of  a  pleasure  when 
the  fires  died  out,  the  men  retired  to  rest  and  silence  fell. 

Now,  for  the  last  time,  she  gazed  out  on  the  way  from 
Tanis,  but  nothing  stirred  except  the  watch  pacing  to  and 
fro. 

As  yet  she  did  not  despair  of  Joshua's  coming,  for  the 
bidding  she  had  sent  him,  in  the  full  conviction  that  it  was 
the  Lord  Himself  who  had  chosen  her  to  deliver  it,  must 
certainly  have  reached  him ;  now,  however,  as  she  read  in 
the  stars  that  it  was  past  midnight,  she  began  to  reflect 
how  many  years  he  had  dwelt  among  the  Egyptians,  and 


loo  JOS  Fir,  1. 

that  he  might  think  it  unworthy  of  a  man  to  hearken  to  the 
call  of  a  woman,  even  when  she  spoke  in  the  name  of  the 
Most  High.  She  had  endured  much  humiliation  this  day  ; 
why  should  not  this  also  be  hanging  over  her  ?  To  the  man 
she  loved,  likewise,  she  ought,  perhaps,  to  have  kept 
silence,  and  have  left  it  to  her  brothers  to  declare  the 
Lord's  behests  to  him. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Much  disturbed  and  grieved  by  such  thoughts  as  these, 
Miriam  turned  her  steps  homeward  to  retire  to  rest  ;  but 
as  she  reached  the  threshold  she  stayed  her  steps  and 
listened  once  more,  gazing  northward  whence  Joshua  must 
come.  Nothing  was  to  be  heard  but  the  tramp  of  a 
watchman  and  the  voice  of  Hur,  as  he  went  the  rounds 
of  the  camp  with  a  company  of  armed  men.  He,  too, 
had  found  it  impossible  to  rest  within. 

The  night  was  mild  and  bright  with  stars,  the  hour  meet 
for  silent  dreaming  under  the  sycamore.  Her  seat  was 
vacant  under  the  ancient  tree,  so,  with  a  bowed  head,  she 
made  her  way  to  the  favorite  spot  which  on  the  morrow 
she  must  quit  forever.  But  she  had  not  reached  the  bench 
when  she  suddenly  stopped,  raised  her  head,  and  pressed 
her  hand  to  her  panting  bosom.  She  had  heard  the  tramp 
of  hoofs,  she  was  sure  of  it,  and  the  sound  came  from  the 
north.  Were  the  chariots  of  Pharaoh  hurrying  down  to 
fall  upon  the  Hebrew  camp  ?  Should  she  shout  to  wake 
the  men-at-arms  ?  Or  could  it  indeed  be  he  whom  she  so 
passionately  longed  for  ?  Yes,  yes.  It  was  the  step  of  a 
single  horse,  and  it  must  be  some  new  arrival,  for  there 
was  a  stir  among  the  tents,  and  clapping  of  hands  and 
shouts  and  eager  talking  came  nearer  and  nearer  as  the 
horseman  approached. 

It  was  Joshua,  she  felt  certain. 

That  he  should  have  ridden  forth  through  the  night  and 
torn  asunder  the  ties  which  bound  him  to  Pharaoh  and  his 
brethren  in  arms  was  a  proof  of  his  obedience.  Love  had 
steeled  his  will  and  lent  speed  to  his  steed,  and  the  thanks 
which  love  alone  can  give,  the  reward  which  love  alone  can 
bestow,   should  no   longer   be    withheld   from    him.     He 


JOSHUA.  101 

should  learn  in  her  arms  that,  though  he  had  given  up 
much,  it  was  to  earn  something  sweeter  and  fairer.  She 
felt  as  though  the  night  about  her  was  as  bright  as  noonday, 
when  her  ear  told  her  that  the  rider  was  making  straight 
for  Aminadab's  dwelling.  By  that  she  knew  that  it  was 
her  call  that  had  brought  him  to  seek  her  before  going  to 
his  father,  who  had  found  a  lodging  in  the  empty,  roomy 
housa  belonging  to  his  grandson  Ephraim. 

Joshua  would  gladly  have  flown  to  her  side  as  fast  as  his 
horse  could  carry  him,  but  it  was  not  safe  to  ride  at  too 
brisk  a  pace  through  the  camp.  Oh,  how  long  the 
minutes  seemed  till  at  last  she  saw  the  horseman,  till  he 
leaped  from  the  saddle,  and  his  companion  flung  the  reins 
to  another  man  who  came  behind. 

It  was,  indeed,  Joshua.  But  his  comrade — whom  she 
saw  quite  plainly,  and  started  at  the  sight — was  Hur,  the 
very  man  who  a  few  hours  since  had  asked  her  to  be  his 
wife. 

There  they  stood,  side  by  side  in  the  starlight,  the  two 
mer>  ner  suitors,  their  figures  lighted  up  the  blazing  pine 
torches  which  were  still  burning  by  the  carts  and  litters 
where  they  stood  ready  for  the  next  morning's  march. 

The  elder  Hebrew,  a  splendid  man,  was  much  taller  than 
the  younger  and  no  less  strongly  built  warrior,  and  the  lord 
of  many  herds  held  his  head  no  less  high  than  the  Egyptian 
hero.  Both  spoke  with  grave  decision  ;  but  her  lover's 
voice  was  the  deeper  and  fuller.  Now  they  were  so  close 
to  her  that  she  could  hear  what  they  were  saying. 

Hur  was  telling  the  newcomer  that  Moses  had  gone 
forth  to  reconnoitre,  and  Joshua  expressed  his  regret,  as 
he  had  a  matter  of  importance  to  discuss  with  him. 

In  that  case  he  would  have  to  set  forth  with  them  at 
daybreak,  Hur  observed,  for  Moses  thought  to  meet  the 
people  on  the  way.  Then  he  pointed  to  the  house  of 
Miriam's  protector,  Aminadab,  which  lay  in  total  darkness, 
unbroken  by  a  single  twinkling  light,  and  desired  Joshua 
to  come  with  him  and  spend  the  remainder  of  the  night 
under  his  roof,  for  no  doubt  he  would  fain  not  rouse  his 
father  at  so  late  an  hour.  At  this,  as  Miriam  saw,  her 
friend  hesitated  and  looked  inquiringly  up  at  the  women's 
rooms  and  the  roof,  and  then,  knowing  whom  he  sought 
and  unable  any  longer  to  resist  the  impulse  of  her  heart, 
she  went  forward  from  under  the  shadow  of  the  sycamore 


io2  JOSHUA. 

and  warmly  bid  Joshua  welcome.  He,  too,  scorned  to 
conceal  the  joy  of  his  heart,  and  Hur,  standing  by,  saw  the 
reunited  pair  clasp  hands,  at  first  in  silence  and  then  with 
eager  words  of  greeting. 

"1  knew  that  you  would  come!"  cried  Miriam,  and 
Joshua  replied  with  glad  emotion  :  "  That  you  might 
easily  know,  O  prophetess,  for  one  of  the  voices  that  bid 
me  hither  was  your  own.''  Then  he  added  more  calmly  : 
"  I  hoped  to  find  your  brother  here  with  you,  for  I  am  the 
bearer  of  a  message  of  the  greatest  importance  to  him,  to 
us  and  to  the  people.  I  find  all  made  ready  for  departing, 
and  I  should  be  sorry  if  your  venerable  protectors  were 
roused  from  their  rest  and  hurried  forward  to  a  perilous 
adventure  which  it  still  seems  possible  to  avert." 

"  You  mean ?  "  asked  Hur,  and  he  came  closer. 

"I  mean,"  replied  Joshua,  "that  if  Moses  persists  in 
leading  the  multitude  forth  eastward,  there  will  be  much 
useless  bloodshed  to-morrow,  for  I  heard  at  Tanis  that  the 
garrisons  of  Etham  have  orders  not  to  let  a  single  man 
pass,  much  less  this  countless  multitude,  whose  numbers 
dismayed  me  as  I  rode  through  the  camp.  I  know  Apoo, 
who  commands  the  place,  and  the  legions  who  serve  under 
him.  There  will  be  a  fearful  and  fruitless  butchery  among 
our  unarmed  and  undisciplined  tribes — in  short  I  must 
speak  strongly  to  Moses,  and  immediately,  to  avert  the 
worst,  before  it  is  too  late." 

"  We  have  not  failed  to  fear  all  that  you  can  warn  us  of," 
replied  Hur,  "  and  it  is  expressly  to  avert  it  that  Moses  has 
set  forth  on  a  perilous  journey." 

"Whither?"  asked  Joshua. 

"  That  is  the  secret  of  the  leaders  of  the  people." 

"  Among  them  my  father  ?  " 

"No  doubt,  and  I  am  ready  to  lead  you  to  him.  If  he 
thinks  fit  to  inform  you " 

"  If  that  is  contrary  to  his  duty  he  will  be  silent.  Who 
leads  the  marching  host  to-morrow  ?  " 

"  I  do." 

"  You  ?  "  cried  Joshua  in  surprise,  and  the  other  quietly 
replied  : 

"  You  are  amazed  that  a  shepherd  should  be  so  bold  as 
to  lead  an  army,  but  the  Lord  God  of  Hosts,  in  whom  we 
put  our  trust,  is  indeed  our  captain,  and  I  look  for  His 
guidance." 


JOSHUA.  I03 

"  It  is  well,"  replied  Joshua,  "but  I  too  believe  that  the 
God  of  our  fathers,  who  called  me  hither  by  the  voice  of 
Miriam,  has  intrusted  me  with  a  message  of  great  impor- 
tance.    I  must  find  Moses  before  it  is  too  late." 

"You  have  been  told  that  till  to-morrow,  or  even  till  the 
day  after,  he  is  beyond  our  reach,  even  mine.     Will  you 
meanwhile  speak  with  Aaron  ?  " 
Is  he  in  the  camp  ?  " 

No  ;  but  we  look  for  his  return  before  the  departing  of 
the  people — that  is  to  say,  in  a  few  hours." 

"  Has  he  the  right  of  deciding  questions  of  importance  in 
the  absence  of  Moses  ?  " 

"  No  ;  he  only  delares  to  the  people  in  eloquent  words 
that  which  his  great  brother  commands." 

At  this  the  disappointed  warrior  gazed  thoughtfully  on 
the  ground  ;  but  after  a  moment's  reflection  he  eagerly 
went  on  :  "  It  is  to  Moses  that  the  Lord  our  God  declares 
His  will ;  but  to  you,  too,  hi"  noble,  virgin  sister,  to  you, 
too,  the  Most  High  reveals  himself." 

"Oh,  Joshua!"  the  prophetess  broke  in,  lifting  her 
hands  to  him  with  an  imploring  and  deprecating  gesture  ; 
but  the  captain  paid  no  heed  to  her  interruption,  and  went 
on  in  an  earnest  tone  :  "  The  Lord  God  charged  you  to 
call  me,  His  servant,  back  to  His  people.  He  commanded 
you  to  give  me  the  name  I  am  to  bear  instead  of  that  given 
me  by  my  father  and  mother,  and  which  I  have  borne  in 
honor  for  thirty  years.  In  obedience  to  your  bidding  I 
have  cast  from  me  all  that  could  make  me  great  among 
men.  It  was  when  I  was  in  the  way  to  face  death  in  Egypt, 
with  my  God  and  your  image  in  my  heart,  that  the  message 
came  to  me  which  I  am  here  to  deliver,  and  I  therefore 
believe  that  it  was  laid  upon  me  by  the  Most  High.  I  am 
constrained  to  deliver  it  to  the  leader  of  the  nation  ;  so,  as 
I  cannot  find  Moses,  I  can  do  no  better  than  to  deliver  it 
to  you,  who,  next  to  your  brother,  dwells  nearest  to  God. 
I  pray  you  now  to  hear  me  ;  but  the  words  I  have  to  speak 
are  not  yet  ripe  for  any  third  hearer.  At  this  Hur  drew 
himself  up.  Breaking  in  on  Joshua's  speech  he  asked 
Miriam  whether  it  was  her  desire  to  hear  what  the  son  of 
Nun  should  say  without  witnesses,  and  she  replied  in  a 
low  voice,  "  Yes." 

Hur  turned  to  the  warrior  and  said,  with  cold  pride  : 
"  I  believe  that  Miriam  knows   the  will  of  the  Lord  and 


104  JOSHUA. 

likewise  her  brother's,  and  that  she  is  aware  of  what  beseems 
a  woman  of  Israel.  If  I  am  not  mistaken  it  was  under 
this  very  tree  that  your  own  father,  the  venerable  Nun, 
repeated  to  my  son  Uri  the  only  reply  which  Moses  witf 
give  to  the  bearer  of  such  message  as  yours." 

"  Do  you  know  it,  then  ?  "  asked  the  soldier,  sternly. 

"  No,"  replied  the  other,  "  but  I  guess  its  purport.  See 
here."  He  stooped  with  youthful  agility,  raised  two  large 
stones  so  that  they  supported  each  other,  rolled  a  few 
smaller  stones  into  a  heap  around  them,  and  then,  in 
breathless  eagerness,  he  spoke  as  follows : 

"This  heap  shall  he  a  witness  between  me  and  thee, 
like  the  heap  of  Mizpah  which  Laban  and  Jacob  made 
when  Laban  called  upon  the  Lord  to  watch  between  him 
and  Israel :  so  do  I  now,  and  I  show  thee  this  heap  that 
thou  mayest  remember  it  when  we  are  absent  one  from 
another.  I  lay  my  hand  on  this  heap  of  stones,  and  I 
declare  that  I,  Hur,  the  son  of  Caleb  and  Ephratah,  put 
my  trust  in  none  other  but  only  in  the  Lord,  the  God  of 
our  fathers,  and  am  ready  to  do  His  bidding  by  which  He 
calleth  us  out  of  the  land  of  Pharaoh  to  the  land  which  He 
hath  promised  us.  And  thou,  Joshua,  the  son  of  Nun,  do 
I  ask,  and  the  Lord  our  Godheareth  thee  :  Dost  thou  look 
for  any  help  other  than  that  of  the  God  of  Abraham,  who 
chose  thy  nation  to  be  His  own  people  ?  Moreover,  thou 
shalt  answer  and  say  whether  henceforth  thou  wilt  hold 
the  Egyptians  who  oppressed  us,  and  out  of  whose  hand 
the  Lord  our  God  hath  promised  to  redeem  us,  as  the  foes 
forever  of  thy  God  and  thy  people  ?  " 

There  was  a  dark  look  in  the  warrior's  bearded  face,  and 
he  was  inclined  to  kick  down  the  heap  of  stones  and 
dismiss  the  overbold  questioner  with  a  wrathful  reply  ;  but 
Miriam  had  laid  her  hand  on  the  top  of  the  heap,  and, 
seizing  his  right  hand,  she  cried  : 

"  He  inquires  of  thee  in  the  sight  of  our  God  and  Lord 
who  is  our  witness  !  " 

Joshua  was  able  to  control  his  wrath,  and  pressing  the 
maiden's  hand  as  he  held  it  he  answered  with  due  solemnity  : 
"  He  asks  me,  but  I  cannot  answer  him  ;  for  '  yea  '  and 
'  nay  '  say  little  in  this  case.  Yet  I  call  God  to  witness  on 
my  part,  and  here  by  this  heap  of  stones  you,  Miriam, 
shall  hear  what  I  have  in  my  mind  and  whercfor  I  am 
come.     And  thou,  Hur,  see  here  !  Like  thee  I  lay  my  hand 


JOSHUA.  105 

on  the  heap  and  testify  that  I,  Joshua,  the  son  of  Nun,  put 
my  trust  in  none  other  but  only  in  the  Lord  God  of  our 
fathers.  He  shall  stand  between  thee  and  me  as  a  witness, 
and  decide  whether  my  way  is  His  way  or  the  way  of  an 
erring  man.  I  will  walk  in  His  way  as  He  hath  declared  it 
to  Moses  and  to  this  noble  maiden.  That  I  swear  with  an 
oath,  and  to  that  God  be  my  witness." 

Hur  had  listened  eagerly,  and  now,  persuaded  by  the 
gravity  of  Joshua's  speech,  he  cried  : 

"  The  Lord  our  God  hear  mine  oath  !  And  I,  too,  by 
this  heap,  will  take  an  oath  !  11'  the  hour  should  come 
when,  remembering  this  heap,  thou  shalt  give  the  testimony 
which  thou  hast  refused  me,  no  wrath  henceforth  shall 
come  between  us;  and  if  it  be  the  will  of  the  Lord  I 
will  deliver  into  thy  hands  the  leadership,  for  thou  in  many 
wars  hast  learned  more  skill  than  I,  who  have  ruled  only 
over  herdsmen  and  flocks.  And  thou,  Miriam,  bear  in 
mind  that  this  heap  is  a  witness  of  the  words  you  twain 
shall  speak  here  in  the  sight  of  God.  Call  to  mind  the 
wrathful  words  we  heard  spoken  under  this  tree  by  this 
man's  father ;  yea,  and  I  call  God  to  witness  that  I  would 
have  darkened  the  life  of  Uri,  my  beloved  son,  who  is  the 
joy  of  my  heart,  if  he  had  spoken  to  the  people  to  persuade 
them  by  the  message  which  he  delivered  to  us,  for  it  would 
have  turned  away  those  of  little  faith  from  their  Cxod. 
Remember  this,  maiden,  and  again  hear  this  :  If  thou 
needest  me  thou  canst  find  me.  The  door  I  opened,  come 
what  may,  will  never  be  shut." 

And  he  turned  away  from  Miriam  and  the  soldier. 

Something,  they  knew  not  what,  had  come  over  them. 
He,  who  all  through  his  long  ride,  beset  with  many  dangers, 
had  longed  with  burning  ardor  for  the  moment  which 
should  see  him  reunited  to  the  maid  he  loved,  stood  look- 
ing down  in  confusion  and  deep  anxiety.  Miriam,  who, 
at  his  approach,  had  been  ready  to  bestow  on  him  all  that 
a  woman  has  of  best  and  sweetest  to  reward  truth  and  love 
withal,  had  sunk  on  the  ground  in  front  of  the  awful  heap 
of  stones  close  to  the  sycamore  tree,  and  was  pressing  her 
head  against  its  old  hollow  trunk. 


io6  JOSHUA*, 


CHAPTER  XV. 

For  some  time  nothing  was  to  be  heard  under  the  sycamore 
but  the  young  girl's  low  sobbing  and  the  impatient  step  of 
the  warrior,  who,  while  struggling  for  composure  himself, 
did  not  venture  to  address  her.  He  could  not  fully 
understand  what  this  was  that  had  suddenly  come  like  a 
mountain  between  him  and  the  woman  he  loved. 

He  had  learned  from  Hur's  speech  that  Moses  and  his 
own  father  had  each,  severally,  rejected  all  mediation  ; 
and  yet  to  him  the  promises  he  was  empowered  to  make 
seemed  a  grace  and  gift  from  Heaven.  As  yet  none  of  his 
nation  had  heard  them,  and  if  Moses  were  the  man  he 
believed  him,  the  Lord  must  of  a  surety  open  his  eyes  and 
show  him  that  He  had  chosen  Joshua  to  guide  the  people 
to  a  happier  future  :  nor  did  he  doubt  that  he  could  easily 
win  over  his  father,  Nun.  It  was  in  full  conviction  that 
he  had  again  sworn  that  it  was  indeed  the  Most  High  who 
had  shown  him  this  way ;  and  after  thinking  all  this  over 
as  Miriam  at  length  rose,  he  went  toward  her  with  renewed 
hope.  The  love  in  his  heart  prompted  him  to  clasp  her 
in  his  arms  ;  but  she  drew  back,  and  her  voice,  usually  so 
pure  and  full,  sounded  harsh  and  husky  as  she  asked  him 
wherefore  he  had  tarried  so  long,  and  what  it  was  that  he 
purposed  to  reveal  to  her. 

As  she  knelt  under  the  sycamore  she  had  not  merely 
been  praying  and  struggling  for  composure  ;  she  had 
looked  into  her  soul.  She  loved  Joshua,  but  her  heart 
misgave  her  that  he  had  some  proposal  to  make  such  as 
Uri's,  and  old  Nun's  wrathful  words  rang  in  her  ears  louder 
than  ever.  Her  fear  lest  her  lover  had  gone  astray  into 
an  evil  way,  and  Hur's  startling  proceedings,  had  lulled 
the  surges  of  her  passion  ;  and  her  spirit,  brought  back  to 
calmer  reflection,  now  craved  above  all  else  to  know  what 
could  so  long  have  detained  him  whom  she  had  sent  for  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord,  and  wherefore  he  had  come  alone 
without  Ephraim.  The  clear  sky,  glorious  with  stars, 
instead  of  looking  down  on  the  bliss  of  a  pair  of  reunited 


JOSHUA.  107 

lovers,  was  witness  only  to  the  anxious  questioning  of  a 
terrified  woman  and  the  impatient  answers  of  a  hot- 
spirited  and  bitterly-disappointed  man.  He  began  by 
urging  his  love,  and  that  he  had  come  to  make  her  his  wife, 
but  she,  though  she  suffered  him  to  hold  her  hand,  im- 
plored him  to  postpone  his  wooing,  and  to  tell  her  first  all 
she  wanted  to  know. 

On  his  way  hither  he  had  heard  news  of  Ephraim  from 
a  fellow  soldier  from  Tanis.  He  was  therefore  able  to  tell 
her  that  he  had  gone  into  the  town  in  disobedience  to 
orders,  sick  and  weary  as  he  was,  and  moved,  it  would 
seem,  by  curiosity,  and  that  he  had  found  care  and  shelter 
under  a  friendly  roof.  This,  however,  did  not  comfort 
Miriam,  who  blamed  herself  as  she  thought  of  the 
inexperienced  and  fatherless  lad,  who  had  grown  up  under 
her  own  eyes,  and  whom  she  herself  had  sent  forth  among 
strangers,  as  a  guest  under  an  Egyptian's  roof.  However, 
Joshua  assured  her  that  he  would  take  upon  himself  to 
bring  the  boy  back  to  his  people,  and  when  she  still  was 
not  satisfied  he  asked  her  whether  he  had  indeed  lost  all 
her  trust  and  love.  But  she,  instead  of  giving  him  a  word 
of  comfort,  began  to  question  him  further,  desiring  to  know 
what  had  delayed  his  coming,  so  he  was  forced  to  tell  his 
tale,  though  greatly  disturbed  and  cut  to  the  heart,  begin- 
ning in  fact  with  the  end  of  his  story. 

While  she  listened  to  him,  leaning  against  the  trunk  of 
the  sycamore,  he,  distraught  by  love  and  impatience,  paced 
up  and  down,  or  else,  hardly  able  to  control  himself,  stood 
close  to  her,  face  to  face.  At  this  moment  nothing  seemed 
to  him  worthy  to  be  clothed  in  speech  but  the  passion  and 
the  hopes  which  filled  his  being.  Had  he  been  convinced 
that  her  heart  was  estranged  from  him  he  would  have  fled 
from  the  camp  as  soon  as  he  had  unburdened  his  soul  to 
his  father,  and  have  ridden  away  into  the  unknown  in 
search  of  Moses.  All  he  cared  for  was  to  win  Miriam  and 
to  keep  clear  of  dishonor  ;  and  important  as  the  events 
and  hopes  of  the  last  few  days  had  been,  he  answered  her 
questions  hastily,  and  as  though  the  matters  involved  were 
but  a  light  thing.  He  began  his  tale  in  broken  sentences, 
and  the  oftener  she  interrupted  him  the  more  impatient 
he  became  and  the  deeper  the  frown  which  knit  his 
brows. 

Joshua  had  been  riding  southward  for  some  few  hours,  in 


108  JOSHUA. 

high  spirits  and  full  of  blossoming  hopes,  when  shortly 
before  dusk  he  perceived  a  large  crowd  of  men  marching 
on  in  front  of  him.  At  first  he  had  taken  them  to  be  the 
rear  guard  of  the  fugitive  Hebrews,  and  he  had  hastened 
his  horse's  pace.  But  before  lie  came  up  with  the  wan- 
derers some  peasant  folk  and  drivers,  leaving  their  carts 
and  beasts  of  burden  in  the  lurch,  had  flown  to  met  him 
with  loud  shrieks  and  shouts  of  warning,  telling  him  that 
the  troops  in  front  were  the  multitude  of  lepers.  And  their 
warning  was  but  too  well  justified,  for  the  first  who  met 
him  with  the  heart-breaking  cry,  "  Unclean  !  unclean  !  " 
bore  the  tokens  of  those  who  were  a  prey  to  the  terrible 
disease,  their  dull  eyes  staring  at  him  from  faces  devoid  of 
eyebrows  and  covered  with  the  white,  scurfy  dust  peculiar 
to  leprosy. 

Joshua  presently  recognized  one  and  another  of  them, 
among  them  here  and  there  an  Egyptian  priest  with  shaven 
head,  and  Hebrew  men  and  women.  He  questioned  them 
with  -the  calm  severity  of  a  warrior  chief,  and  learned  that 
they  had  come  from  the  quarries  opposite  Memphis,  their 
place  of  exile  on  the  eastern  shore  of  the  Nile.  Certain 
Hebrews  among  them  had  heard  that  their  people  had  fled 
from  Egypt  to  seek  a  land  which  the  Lord  had  promised 
them.  On  this,  many  had  determined  to  put  their  trust  in 
the  mighty  God  of  their  fathers  and  to  follow  the  wander- 
ing tribes  ;  and  the  Egyptian  priests  even,  whose  affliction 
had  cast  in  their  lot  with  the  Hebrews,  had  set  forth  with 
them,  fixing  on  Succoth  as  the  goal  of  their  wanderings, 
whither,  as  they  heard,  Moses  was  first  to  lead  the  people. 
But  every  one  who  might  have  told  them  the  road  had  fled 
at  their  approach.  Thus  they  had  gone  too  far  to  the 
northward,  even  almost  as  fas  as  the  fortress  of  Tabnae. 
It  was  at  a  mile  from  that  place  that  Joshua  had  overtaken 
them,  and  had  counseled  their  leaders  to  return  forthwith 
and  not  to  bring  misfortune  on  the  host  of  their  brethren. 
During  their  parley  a  company  of  Egyptian  soldiers  had 
come  out  from  the  citadel  to  meet  the  lepers  and  clear  the 
road  of  their  presence  ;  however,  the  captain,  who  knew 
Joshua,  had  used  no  force,  and  the  two  warriors  had 
persuaded  the  leaders  of  the  unclean  to  let  themselves  be 
guided  to  the  peninsula  of  Sinai,  where  there  was  already 
a  colony  of  lepers  among  the  mountains,  not  far  from  the 
mines.     They  had  yielded  to  this  proposal  because  Joshua 


JOSHUA.  109 

had  promised  them  that  if  the  Israelites  wandered  eastward 
they  would  visit  them  and  receive  all  who  should  be 
healed  ;  but  even  if  the  Hebrews  remained  in  Egypt  the 
pure  air  of  the  desert  would  bring  health  to  many  sufferers, 
and  every  one  who  recovered  was  free  to  return  to  his 
people. 

All  this  consumed  much  time  ;  and  then  other  delays 
had  occurred,  for  as  Joshua  had  been  in  such  near  neigh- 
borhood to  the  lepers  he  had  been  compelled  to  go  to 
Tabnae,  where  he  and  the  captain  of  the  troops,  who  had 
been  with  him,  were  sprinkled  with  the  blood  of  birds, 
clothed  in  clean  linen,  and  obliged  to  go  through  certain 
ceremonials  which  he  himself  had  deemed  necessary,  and 
which  could  only  be  performed  in  broad  sunlight.  His 
squire  had  not  been  suffered  to  leave  the  citadel ;  the  soft- 
hearted fellow,  seeing  a  kinsman  among  the  hapless 
wretches,  had  clasped  his  hand. 

The  cause  of  this  detention  was  saddening  and  sicken- 
ing, and  it  was  not  till  he  had  quitted  Tabnae  at  noonday 
and  turned  his  face  toward  Succoth  that  the  hope  and  joy 
of  seeing  Miriam  again,  and  of  delivering  so  cheering  a 
message,  had  revived  in  Joshua's  breast. 

Never  had  his  heart  beat  higher  with  glad  anticipation 
than  as  he  rode  on  through  the  night,  each  step  bringing 
him  nearer  to  his  father  and  his  beloved,  and  at  his 
journey's  end,  instead  of  the  highest  bliss,  naught  had  he 
found  till  now  but  the  most  cruel  disappointment. 

He  had  related  his  meeting  with  the  lepers  briefly  and 
reluctantly,  although  he  had  done,  as  he  believed,  what  was 
best  for  these  hapless  folk.  Any  one  of  his  fellow-soldiers 
would  have  had  a  word  of  praise  for  him,  but  she,  whose 
approbation  was  dearer  to  him  than  all  else,  pointed,  as  he 
ended,  to  a  certain  spot  in  the  camp,  saying  mournfully  : 

"  They  are  of  our  blood  ;  our  God  is  their  God.  The 
lepers  of  Zoan,  Phakos  and  Phibeseth  followed  the  rest  at 
a  reasonable  distance,  and  their  tents  are  pitched  outside 
the  camp.  Those  of  Succoth  likewise — they  are  not  many 
— are  to  journey  with  them,  and  when  the  Lord  promised 
the  people  the  land  for  which  they  longed  it  was  to  great 
and  small  and  poor  alike,  and,  of  a  surety,  to  those  poor 
wretches  who  now  are  left  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 
Would  you  not  have  done  better  to  divide  those  of  our 
race  from  the  Egyptians  and  bring  them  hither  ?  " 


no  JOSHUA. 

At  this  the  soldier's  manly  pride  rebelled,  and  his  reply 
was  grave  and  stern. 

"  In  war  a  man  learns  to  sacrifice  hundreds  that  he  may- 
save  thousands.  Even  the  shepherd  removes  the  rotten 
sheep  to  save  the  flock." 

"Very  true,"  replied  the  girl  eagerly,  "for  the  shepherd 
is  but  a  man,  who  knows  no  remedy  against  the  evil.  But 
the  Lord  who  hath  called  all  His  people  will  not  suffer 
them  to  come  to  harm  through  obedience." 

"So  women  think!"  retorted  Joshua.  "But  the 
counsels  of  compassion  which  move  them  must  not  be 
suffered  to  weigh  too  heavily  in  those  of  men.  You  are 
ready  to  follow  the  dictates  of  your  heart,  as  indeed  is 
most  fitting,  so  long  as  you  do  not  forget  what  beseems 
you  and  your  sex. 

Miriam's  cheeks  flushed  crimson,  for  she  felt  the  stab 
that  was  hidden  in  this  speech  with  a  double  pang,  since 
it  was  dealt  by  Joshua.  How  much  had  she  this  day  been 
forced  to  renounce  for  her  sex's  sake  ?  And  now  she 
was  to  be  made  to  feel  that  she  was  not  his  equal,  that  she 
was  but  a  woman.  In  the  presence  of  the  heap  of  stones 
which  Hur  had  built  up,  and  on  which  her  hand  at  this 
moment  rested,  he  had  appealed  to  her  judgment  as 
though  she  were  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  people  ;  and 
now  he  roughly  set  her  in  her  place — her,  who  felt  herself 
second  to  no  man  in  gifts  and  in  spirit. 

But  he,  too,  had  been  wounded  in  his  pride,  and  her 
demeanor  warned  him  that  this  hour  would  decide  whether 
in  their  future  union  he  or  she  should  get  the  mastery.  He 
stood  up  in  front  of  her  in  all  his  pride  and  high  determi- 
nation— never,  indeed,  had  she  thought  him  so  manly  or 
so  desirable.  Yet  the  instinct  to  fight  for  her  injured 
womanly  dignity  was  stronger  than  any  other  impulse,  and 
finally  it  was  she  who  broke  the  painful  silence  which  had 
followed  his  words  of  reproof.  With  a  degree  of  composure 
which  she  only  achieved  by  the  exertion  of  her  utmost 
power  of  will  she  began  : 

"  But  we  are  both  forgetting  what  keeps  us  here  at  this 
hour  of  the  night.  You  were  to  reveal  to  me  what  brought 
you  hither,  and  to  hear  from  my  lips  the  judgment  of  the 
Lord — not  that  of  Miriam,  the  foolish  woman." 

"  I  had  hoped  to  hear  the  voice  of  the  maiden  in  whose 
love  I  trusted,"  he  gloomily  replied. 


JOSHUA.  in 

"  You  shall  hear  it,"  she  said,  taking  her  hand  from  off 
the  heap  of  stones.  "  But  it  may  befall  that  I  cannot 
consent  to  the  judgment  of  the  man  whose  power  and 
wisdom  are  so  far  greater  than  mine,  and  you  have  taught 
me  that  you  cannot  brook  a  woman's  contradiction — not 
even  mine." 

"Miriam!"  he  exclaimed,  reproachfully,  but  she  went 
on  more  vehemently  : 

"  I  have  felt  it  deeply  ;  and  as  it  would  be  the  greatest 
sorrow  of  my  life  to  lose  your  heart,  you  must  understand 
me  fully  before  you  call  upon  me  to  pronounce  judgment." 

"  But  first  hear  my  message." 

"  No — no  !  "  she  eagerly  replied.  "  The  answer  now 
would  die  on  my  lips.  First,  let  me  tell  you  of  the  woman 
who,  though  she  has  a  loving  heart,  knows  something 
which  she  holds  far  above  love.  You  smile  ?  And  you 
have  a  right  to  smile  till  you  know  that  which  I  will  reveal 
to  you." 

"Speak,  then  !  "  he  broke  in,  in  a  tone  which  betrayed 
how  hard  he  felt  it  to  keep  patience. 

"  Thanks  for  that,"  she  said,  warmly.  Then,  leaning 
against  the  tree  trunk,  while  he  sat  down  on  the  bench 
and  looked  into  her  face  and  now  on  the  ground,  she 
spoke  : 

"  I  have  left  childhood  behind  me,  aye,  and  my  youth 
will  soon  be  a  thing  of  the  past.  While  I  was  still  but  a 
little  child  I  was  not  very  different  from  other  girls.  I 
played  with  them,  and  although  my  mother  taught  me  to 
pray  to  the  God  of  our  fathers,  still  I  was  well  content  to 
hear  what  other  children  would  tell  me  of  Isis.  As  often 
as  I  could  I  would  steal  into  her  temple,  buy  spices  and 
strip  my  little  garden  for  her;  would  pour  oil  on  her  altar 
and  offer  her  flowers.  I  was  taller  and  stronger  than 
many  maidens  of  my  age,  and  the  daughter  of  Amram  to 
boot,  so  that  the  others  were  ready  enough  to  obey  me 
and  do  all  I  proposed.  When  I  was  eight  years  old  we 
moved  hither  from  Zoan.  Before  I  had  found  a  playfellow 
here  you  came  to  stay  in  the  house  of  Gamaliel,  your 
sister's  husband,  to  be  healed  of  a  wound  from  a  Libyan's 
lance.  Do  you  remember  that  time,  when  you,  a  young 
man,  made  a  comrade  of  the  little  girl  ?  I  fetched  you  all 
you  needed ;  I  chattered  to  you  of  all  I  knew,  and  you 
told  me  tales  of  bloody  fights  and  victory,  and  described 


H2  JOSHUA. 

the  splendid  armor  and  the  horses  and  chariots  of  the 
soldiers.  You  showed  me  the  ring  you  had  won  by  your 
valor,  and  when  the  wound  in  your  breast  was  healed  we 
wandered  about  the  meadows  together. 

'•  Isis,  whom  you  worshiped,  had  her  temple  here  also, 
and  how  often  would  I  steal  secretly  into  its  courts  to  pray 
for  you  and  carry  her  my  holiday  cakes.  I  had  heard  so 
much  from  you  of  Pharaoh  and  his  magnificence,  of  the 
Egyptians  and  their  wisdom,  skill  and  luxurious  lives,  that 
my  little  heart  longed  to  dwell  among  them  in  the  capital; 
it  had  moreover  come  to  my  ears  that  my  brother  Moses 
had  been  treated  with  great  kindness  in  the  king's  palace, 
and  had  become  a  man  held  in  high  honor  among  the 
priesthood.  I  could  no  longer  be  content  with  my  own 
folk,  who  seemed  to  me  in  all  respects  far  behind  the 
Egyptians. 

"  Then  came  the  parting  from  you,  and  as  my  little 
heart  was  piously  inclined,  and  looked  for  all  good  to 
come  from  divine  power,  by  whatever  name  it  was  called, 
I  prayed  for  Pharaoh  and  for  his  army  with  which  you 
were  fighting. 

"  My  mother  would  sometimes  speak  of  the  God  of  our 
fathers  as  of  a  mighty  Defense  who  had  done  great  things 
of  old  for  His  people,  and  she  told  me  many  fine  tales  of 
Him  ;  still  she  herself  often  sacrificed  in  the  temple  of 
Set,  or  carried  clover  flowers  to  the  sacred  bull  of  the 
Sun-god.  She  had  kind  thoughts,  too,  of  the  Egyptians, 
among  whom  our  Moses,  her  pride  and  joy,  had  risen  to 
such  high  honor. 

"  Thus  I  came  to  be  fifteen  years  old  and  lived  happily 
with  the  rest.  In  the  evening,  when  the  herdsmen  had 
come  home,  I  sat  round  the  fire  with  the  young  ones,  and  it 
pleased  me  when  the  sons  of  the  great  owners  preferred 
me  above  the  others  and  paid  court  to  me  ;  but  I  rejected 
them  all,  even  the  Egyptian  captain  who  commanded  the 
guard  in  charge  of  the  storehouse,  for  I  always  thought  of 
you,  the  companion  of  my  childhood.  The  best  I  had  to 
give  would  not  have  seemed  too  much  for  a  magic  spell 
which  might  have  brought  you  to  my  side,  when  at  high 
festivals  I  danced  and  sang  to  the  tambourine,  and  the 
loudest  praise  was  always  for  me.  Whenever  I  sang  before 
others  I  thought  of  you,  and  as  I  did  so  I  poured  out  all 
that  filled  my  heart  as  a  lark  might,  so  that  my  song  was 


JOSHUA.  II J 

to  you  and  not  to  the  praise  of  the  Most  High,  to  whom  it 
was  dedicated." 

At  this  a  fresh  glow  of  passion  possessed  the  man  to 
whom  his  beloved  confessed  such  gladdening  truth.  He 
sprang  up  and  held  out  his  arms  to  her,  but  she  forbade 
him  with  stern  severity,  that  she  herself  might  remain  mis- 
tress of  the  longing  which  threatened  to  be  too  much 
for  her. 

Her  deep  voice  had  a  different  ring  in  it  as  she  went  on, 
at  first  quickly  and  softly,  but  presently  louder  and  more 
impressively  : 

"And  so  I  came  to  be  eighteen,  and  I  could  endure  Suc- 
coth  no  longer.  An  unutterable  yearning,  not  for  you  only, 
came  over  my  soul.  Things  that  had  formerly  brought  me 
joy  now  seemed  empty,  and  the  monotony  of  my  life  here 
in  this  remote  frontier  town,  among  flocks  and  herdsmen, 
seemed  to  me  dreary  and  wretched. 

"  Eleazar,  Aaron's  son,  had  taught  me  to  read,  and 
brought  me  books  full  of  tales  which  could  never  have  been 
true,  but  which  nevertheless  stirred  my  heart.  Many  of 
them  contained  praises  of  the  gods  and  ardent  songs,  such 
as  lovers  sing  one  to  another.  These  took  deep  hold  on 
me,  and  when  I  was  alone  in  the  evening  or  at  mid-day, 
when  all  was  still  and  the  shepherds  and  herdsmen  were 
away  at  pasture,  I  would  rehearse  these  songs  or  invent 
new,  mostly  hymns  in  praise  of  the  Divinity,  in  honor  of 
Anion,  with  his  ram's  head,  or  of  Isis,  with  the  head  of  a 
cow ;  but  often,  too,  of  the  Almighty  Lord  who  revealed 
Himself  to  Abraham,  and  of  whom  my  mother  spoke  more 
often  as  she  grew  older.  And  this  was  what  I  loved  best 
— to  think  in  silence  of  such  songs  of  praise,  and  wait  for 
visions  in  which  I  saw  God's  greatness  and  glory,  or  fair 
angels  and  hideous  demons.  From  a  merry  child  I  had 
become  a  pensive  maiden  who  let  her  life  go  as  it  might. 
There  was  no  one  to  warn  or  to  hinder  me ;  my  parents 
were  now  dead,  and  I  lived  alone  with  my  Aunt  Rachel,  a 
misery  to  myself  and  no  joy  to  any  one  else.  Aaron,  my 
eldest  brother,  had  gone  to  dwell  with  his  father-in-law, 
Aminadab,  for  the  old  home  of  Ararara,  his  inheritance, 
was  too  small  for  him,  and  he  had  bestowed  it  on  me.  My 
companions  even  avoided  me,  for  all  gladness  had  depart- 
ed from  me,  and  I  looked  down  upon  them  in  sinful  scorn 
because  I  could  compose  songs  and  see  more  in  my 
visions  than  ever  they  saw. 


1 14  JOSHUA. 

"  Now  I  was  nineteen,  and  on  the  eve  of  my  birthday, 

which  no  one  remembered  save  Milcah,  Eleazar's  daughter, 

the    Lord   for   the   first    time  gave    me    a    message.     He 

appeared  in  the  form  of  an  angel  and  bid  me  set  the  house 

in  order,  for  a  guest  was  on  the  way  whom  I  loved  greatly. 

"  It  was  very  early  in  the  morning  and  I  sat  under  this 
tree  ;  so  I  went  into  the  house,  and  with  old  Rachel's  help 
I  set  the  house  in  order  and  made  ready  a  bed,  and  pre- 
pared a  meal  with  wine  and  all  that  we  welcome  a  guest 
withal.  But  noon  came,  and  the  afternoon  and  the  even- 
ing became  night,  and  the  night  morning  again,  and  still  I 
waited  for  the  guest.  However,  as  the  sun  was  getting 
low  that  day  the  dogs  began  to  bark  loudly,  and  when  I 
went  forth  to  the  gate  a  tall  man  came  hurrying  toward  me. 
His  hair  was  grey  and  in  disorder,  and  he  wore  a  priest's 
white  robe  all  in  tatters.  The  dog  shrank  from  him 
whining,  but  I  knew  him  for  my  brother  Moses. 

"  Our  meeting  again  after  such  a  long  time  brought  me 
more  fear  than  pleasure,  for  Moses  was  fleeing  from  his 
pursuers  because  he  had  slain  the  overseer.  But  this  you 
know. 

"Wrath  still  flashed  from  his  sparkling  eyes.  He 
appeared  to  me  to  resemble  the  god  Set,  and  each  of  his 
slow  words  was  engraved  on  my  mind  as  with  a  hammer 
and  chisel.  He  remained  three  times  seven  days  and  nights 
under  my  roof,  and  since  I  was  alone  with  him  and  deaf 
Rachel — for  he  had  to  remain  hidden— no  one  came  be- 
tween us,  and  he  taught  me  to  know  Him  who  is  the  God 
of  our  fathers.  I  listened  to  his  burning  words  with  fear 
and  trembling,  and  his  weighty  speech  fell,  as  it  seemed  to 
me,  like  rocks  upon  my  breast  when  he  impressed  on  me 
what  the  Lord  God  expected  of  me,  or  when  he  described 
the  wrath  and  the  greatness  of  Him  whom  no  mind  can  com- 
prehend, and  whose  name  none  may  utter.  Yes,  when  he 
spoke  of  Him  and  of  the  Egyptian  gods,  it  appeared  as 
though  the  God  of  Israel  stood  forth  like  a  giant  whose 
brow  touched  the  heavens ;  while  the  other  gods  all 
crouched  at  his  feet  in  the  dust  like  whimpering  hounds. 

"  He  also  taught  me  that  we  alone,  and  no  others,  were 
the  Lord's  chosen  people.  Now,  for  the  first  time,  I  was 
rilled  with  pride  that  I  was  a  scion  of  Abraham,  and  that 
every  Hebrew  'was  my  brother  and  every  daughter  of 
Israel  my   sister.     Now,  too,   I  understood  how  cruelly 


JOSHUA.  1 15 

those  of  my  own  kindred  had  been  tortured  and  oppressed. 
I  had  hitherto  been  blind  to  the  anguish  of  my  people,  but 
Moses  opened  my  eyes  and  sowed  the  seeds  of  hatred  in 
my  heart — a  great  hatred  of  the  tyrants  of  my  brethren  \ 
and  from  that  hatred  grew  love  for  the  oppressed.  I 
vowed  that  I  would  cling  to  my  brother  and  wait  on  the 
voice  of  the  Lord,  and,  behold  !  He  did  not  tarry ;  the 
voice  of  Jehovah  spoke  to  me  as  with  tongues. 

"  About  that  time  old  Rachel  died,  and  by  Moses'  desire 
I  did  not  live  alone,  but  followed  the  bidding  of  Aaron  and 
Aminadab  and  became  a  guest  under  their  roof.  Still,  even 
then  I  lived  a  life  apart.  Nor  did  they  hinder  me  ;  and 
this  sycamore  in  their  field  became,  as  it  were,  my  place. 
It  was  under  its  shade  that  God  bid  me  call  thee  and  name 
thee  Holpen  of  Jehovah — and  thou,  Joshua,  and  no 
longer  Hosea,  hast  done  the  bidding  of  the  Lord  thy  God 
and  of  His  prophetess  !  " 

At  this  point  the  soldier  interrupted  the  damsel's  tale, 
to  which  he  had  listened  earnestly,  though  with  growing 
disappointment. 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  "  I  obeyed  you  and  the  Lord  God  ! 
What  it  cost  me  to  do  so  you  care  not  to  inquire.  You 
have  told  all  your  story  down  to  the  present  hour,  but  you 
have  nothing  to  say  of  the  days  you  spent  with  us  as  our 
guest  at  Tanis  after  my  mother's  death.  Can  you  forget 
what  your  eyes  first  told  me  there,  and  then  your  lips  ? 
Has  the  day  of  our  parting  vanished  from  your  memory, 
and  the  evening  on  the  sea  when  you  bid  me  set  my  hopes 
on  you  and  remember  you  ?  Did  the  hatred  which  Moses 
implanted  in  your  heart  exclude  all  else,  even  love?  " 

"  Even  love  ?  "  cried  Miriam,  raising  her  tearful  eyes  to 
his  face.  "  Oh,  no  !  How  could  I  ever  forget  that  time, 
the  happiest  of  my  life  ?  But  from  the  day  when  Moses 
came  from  the  desert  to  redeem  the  people  from  bondage 
by  the  command  of  the  Lord — it  was  three  months  after 
your  departing — from  that  day  I  have  lost  all  count  of 
years  and  months,  days  and  nights." 

"  And  you  will  forget  this  night  ? "  asked  Joshua, 
bitterly. 

"  Nay,  not  so,"  said  Miriam,  looking  beseechingly  in  his 
face.     "  The  love  which  grew  up  in  the  child's  heart  and 

did  not  fade  in  the  girl's  can  never  die "     Here  she 

suddenly  broke  off,  raised  her  hands  and  eyes  to  heaven  as 


Ii6  JOSHUA. 

if  wrapt  in  ecstasy,  and  cried  aloud  :  "  Thou  art  nigh  t» 
me,  great  God  Almighty,  and  canst  read  my  heart !  Thou 
knowcst  wherefor  Miriam  counts  no  more  by  days  and 
years,  and  asks  only  to  be  Thy  handmaid  until  Thou  hast 
granted  to  her  people,  who  is  this  man's  people,  that 
which  Thou  hast  promised  ! " 

While  the  maiden  was  uttering  this  prayer,  which  came 
from  the  very  bottom  of  her  heart,  a  light  breeze  had  sprung 
up,  the  herald  of  dawn,  and  the  thick,  leafy  crown  of  the 
sycamore  tree  whispered  above  her  head.  Joshua  devoured 
her  tall,  majestic  figure  with  his  eyes  as  she  stood  half 
lighted  and  half  shrouded  in  the  doubtful  gleam  of  dawn, 
for  the  things  he  saw  and  heard  seemed  to  him  as  a  miracle. 
The  tidings  of  great  joy  to  which  she  looked  forward  for 
her  people,  and  which  must  be  accomplished  before  she 
would  allow  herself  to  follow  the  desires  of  her  heart,  he 
believed  himself  to  be  the  bearer  of  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord.  Carried  away  by  the  high  flight  of  her  spirit,  he 
hastened  to  her  side,  seized  her  hand  and  cried  with  hope- 
ful excitement : 

"  The  hour  has  come  when  you  may  once  more  tell  day 
from  night  and  hearken  to  the  wishes  of  your  heart.  For 
I,  Joshua,  no  more  Hosea,  came  at  the  message  of  the  Lord, 
and  the  message  I  bear  brings  new  happiness  to  the  people 
whom  I  will  learn  to  love  as  you  love  them,  and,  if  it  be  the 
will  of  the  Most  High,  a  new  and  better  land." 

Miriam's  eyes  flashed  with  gladness.  Carried  away  by 
thankful  joy,  she  cried  : 

"  Are  you,  then,  come  to  lead  us  to  the  land  Jehovah  hath 
promised  us  ?  Oh,  Lord,  how  great  are  Thy  mercies  !  He 
— he  comes  as  Thy  messenger." 

"  Yea,  he  comes  ;  he  is  here  !  "  cried  Joshua,  rapturously, 
and  she  did  not  prevent  him  as  he  clasped  her  to  his  breast. 
With  a  thrill  of  joy  she  returned  his  ardent  kis 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Frightened  at  her  own  weakness,  Miriam  presently  freed 
herself  from  her  lover's  arms,  but  she  was  ready  to  listen 
with  eager  gladness  to  his  tale  of  a  fresh  mercy  vouchsafed 
by  the  Most  High,  and  his  brief  account  of  all  he  had  done 
and  felt  since  he  had  received  her  call. 


JOSHUA.  «7 

First,  he  described  how  terribly  he  had  been  divided  in 
his  mind ;  how  then  he  had  found  entire  faith,  and  in 
obedience  to  the  God  of  his  nation  and  to  his  father's  appeal 
had  gone  to  the  palace,  facing  the  risk  of  imprisonment  or 
death,  to  be  released  of  his  oath.  Next  he  told  her  how 
graciously  the  mourning  sovereigns  had  received  him,  and 
how  finally  he  had  taken  upon  himself  the  office  of  appeal- 
ing to  the  leader  of  his  people  and  persuading  him  to  take 
the  Hebrews  only  a  short  way  into  the  desert,  and  then 
bring  them  home  again  to  Egypt,  where  a  new  and  splendid 
province  should  be  granted  them  on  the  west  of  the  Nile. 
Henceforth  no  Egyptian  overseer  should  oppress  them; 
their  own  elders  should  be  permitted  to  rule  them,  and  a 
man  of  their  own  choosing  should  govern  them. 

To  conclude,  he  observed  that  he  himself  was  minded  to 
become  the  captain  of  the  Hebrew  fighting  men,  and  also 
to  mediate  and  smooth  matters  between  them  and  the 
Egyptians  whenever  it  might  seem  needful.  Happily 
united  to  her  in  that  new  home,  he  would  extend  his  care 
to  the  humblest  of  his  brethren.  On  his  way  hither  he  had 
felt  as  though,  after  a  furious  fight,  the  blasts  of  the  trumpets 
proclaimed  victory.  And,  indeed,  he  had  a  right  to  believe 
himself  a  messenger  and  ambassador  from  the  Lord. 

Here,  however,  he  interrupted  himself,  for  Miriam,  who 
at  first  had  listened  to  him  with  anxious  ears  and  flashing 
eyes,  had  heard  him,  as  he  proceeded,  with  a  more  and 
more  anxious  and  troubled  mien.  And  when  he  spoke  of 
his  hope  that  they  might  together  do  much  for  their  people, 
she  drew  away  her  hand,  gazed  with  terror  into  his  hand- 
some face  glowing  with  glad  excitement,  and  then  cast  down 
her  eyes  as  if  striving  for  self-control. 

Unsuspicious  of  what  had  moved  her  thus,  he  went  closer 
to  her.  He  deemed  that  it  was  maidenly  shyness  that  held 
her  silent  at  having  yielded  a  first  favor  to  the  man  she 
loved.  But  when  she  shook  her  head  disapprovingly  at  his 
last  words,  announcing  his  commission  as  God's  messenger, 
he  was  almost  beside  himself  with  cruel  disappointment, 
and  exclaimed  vehemently  : 

"  Then  do  you  believe  that  the  Lord  hath  defended  me, 
as  by  a  miracle,  against  the  wrath  of  the  mighty,  and  given 
me  grace  to  win  for  His  people,  from  the  hand  of  the  great 
king,  such  boons  as  never  before  did  the  strong  vouchsafe 
to  the  weak,  only  to  trifle  with  the  happy  trustfulness  of  a 
man  whom  He  Himself  called  to  serve  Him?" 


lit  JOSHUA. 

At  this  she  interrupted  him  in  awoful  voice,  with  difficulty 
restraining  her  tears  : 

"  The  strong  to  the  weak  !  If  this  is  your  thought  you 
force  me  to  ask  you  in  your  own  father's  words  :  '  Who, 
then,  is  the  mightier,  the  Lord  our  God  or  that  poor  crea- 
ture on  the  throne,  whose  first-born  has  perished  at  a  sign 
from  the  Most  High  as  grass  is  cut  down  and  withered  ? ' 
Oh,  Hosea,  Hosea  !  " 

"  Nay,  Joshua,"  he  wildly  exclaimed.  "  Do  you  refuse 
me  the  name  which  your  God  bestowed  on  me  ?  I  trusted 
in  His  aid  when  I  entered  the  palace  of  the  great  king ;  I 
sought  redemption  and  release  for  the  nation  under  God's 
guidance,  and  I  found  them,  and  you — you " 

"  Moses  and  your  father,  aye,  and  all  the  faithful  leaders 
of  Israel,  sees  no  redemption  at  the  hand  of  the  Egyptians," 
she  replied,  with  fluttering  breath.  "  All  that  they  can 
bestow  must  bring  destruction  on  Israel ;  the  grass  that  we 
have  sown  withers  where  the  Egyptian  treads.  And  you, 
whose  honest  soul  they  have  but  mocked  at,  you  are  the 
lure  sent  forth  by  the  bird  catcher  to  entice  the  birds  into 
the  net.  You  are,  as  it  were,  the  hammer  in  their  hand 
to  rivet  the  fetters  withal  more  firmly  than  ever,  which  we, 
by  God's  help,  have  broken.  With  the  eyes  of  the  spirit  I 
see " 

"  Enough  !  Too  much  !  "  cried  the  warrior,  grinding  his 
teeth  with  rage.  "  Hatred  has  clouded  your  clear  soul. 
.Mid  if  the  bird  catcher,  as  you  would  have  it,  is  of  a  truth 
using  me  as  his  lure,  and  mocked  at  me  and  led  me  astray, 
it  was  from  you,  yes,  you,  that  he  has  learned  it.  Encour- 
aged by  you  I  built  on  your  love  and  faithfulness  ;  of  you 
I  hoped  everything.  And  that  love — where  is  it?  You 
have  spared  me  nothing  that  could  wound  me,  and  I, 
likewise,  will  not  spare  myself,  but  confess  the  whole  truth. 
It  is  not  alone  because  the  God  of  my  fathers  bid  me,  but 
because  it  was  through  you  and  my  father  that  the  call  came 
to  me,  that  I  obeyed.  You  aspire  after  a  land  in  the  far 
unknown,  promised  by  the  Lord.  I  opened  to  my  people 
the  way  to  a  certain  and  happy  home.  Nor  was  it  for 
their  sake,  for  what  have  my  people  ever  done  forme? 
But  above  all,  that  I  might  dwell  there  with  you,  whom  I 
love,  and  with  my  old  father,  and  you,  whose  cold  heart 
knows  not  love,  with  my  kiss  on  your  lips,  you  reject  the 
boon  I  offer  out  of  hatred  for  the  hand  that  has  bestowed  it 


JOSHUA.  II9 

on  me.  All  your  thoughts  and  deeds  have  become  as  those 
of  a  man,  and  all  that  other  women  prize  most  highly  you 
spuria  from  you  with  your  foot !  " 

At  this  Miriam  could  bear  no  more.  She  clasped  her 
hands  over  her  quivering  face,  sobbing  bitterly. 

By  this  time  the  sleeping  tribes  were  awakening  in 
the  growing  dawn.  Serving  men  and  women  came  forth 
from  the  houses  of  Aminadab  and  Nahshon.  All,  as  they 
woke  to  a  new  day,  made  their  way  to  the  well  or  the 
drinking-troughs,  but  she  heeded  them  not. 

How  her  heart  had  leaped  and  rejoiced  when  her  lover 
had  declared  to  her  that  he  had  come  to  lead  them  to  the 
land  which  the  Lord  had  promised  to  His  people.  She 
had  rested  so  gladly  on  his  bosom,  to  know  for  a  moment 
that  highest  bliss,  but  how  soon  had  it  been  turned  to 
cruel  disappointment  !  While  the  morning  breeze  had 
rustled  through  the  thick  foliage  of  the  sycamore,  and 
while  Joshua  was  telling  her  of  Pharaoh's  promises  to  the 
people,  it  had  seemed  to  her  that  the  voice  of  God  in  His 
wrath  was  murmuring  on  the  tree-tops,  or  that  she  heard 
once  more  the  angry  speech  of  old  Nun.  He  had  stormed 
at  Uri  like  thunder  and  lightning,  and  wherein  did 
Joshua's  proposals  differ  from  Uri's  ? 

The  people,  as  she  had  heard  from  Moses  himself,  were 
lost  if  they  failed  in  truth  to  their  God  and  yielded  to 
Pharaoh's  enticements.  To  ally  herself  with  a  man  who 
had  come  to  undo  all  for  which  her  brothers  and  his  own 
father  had  lived  and  struggled  would  be  base  treason. 
And  yet  she  loved  Joshua,  and  instead  of  repulsing  him 
harshly,  how  willingly,  ah,  how  gladly,  would  she  again 
have  lain  on  the  heart  which,  as  she  knew,  longed  for  her 
so  ardently. 

But  the  murmur  in  the  boughs  still  went  on.  She  could 
fancy  it  was  echoing  Aaron's  words  of  warning,  and  she 
vowed  to  remain  true,  strong  as  the  impulse  was  that  drew 
her  to  her  lover.  The  whispering  in  the  tree  was  of  a 
surety  the  voice  of  God,  who  had  chosen  her  to  be  His 
handmaid.  When  Joshua  had  declared  in  his  passionate 
excitement  that  the  desire  to  possess  her  was  what  had 
prompted  him  to  action  on  behalf  of  the  people  who  to 
him  were  as  indifferent  as  to  her  they  were  dear,  she  had 
suddenly  felt  her  heart  stand  still,  and  she  could  not  for- 
bear sobbing  in  her  mental  anguish. 


120  JOSHUA. 

Heedless  of  Joshua  or  the  awakening  multitude,  she 
flung  herself  again  at  the  foot  of  the  sycamore,  with  arms 
upraised  to  heaven,  staring  wide-eyed  at  the  boughs,  as 
though  expecting  some  fresh  revelation.  The  morning 
air  sighed  among  the  leaves,  and  suddenly  it  seemed  as 
though  a  bright  radiance  shone  not  only  in  her  soul,  but 
all  about  her,  as  always  happened  when  a  vision  was 
granted  to  her  prophetic  eye.  And  in  the  midst  of  the 
light,  behold  a  figure,  whose  aspect  terrified  her  while  his 
name  was  whispered  by  every  trembling  leaf;  and  the 
name  was  not  Joshua,  but  that  of  another  whom  her  heart 
could  not  desire.  He  stood  in  the  blaze  of  glory  before 
her  mind's  eye,  a  tall,  noble  form,  and,  with  a  solemn  ges- 
ture, laid  his  hand  on  the  heap  of  stones  he  had  made. 

Breathless  with  suspense  she  gazed  at  the  vision  ;  and 
yet  she  would  gladly  have  closed  her  eyes  to  avoid  seeing 
it,  and  have  shut  her  ears  to  the  voice  of  the  murmuring 
sycamore.  Suddenly  the  glory  was  extinct,  the  figure  had 
vanished,  the  voice  of  the  leaves  was  hushed  ;  she  saw 
before  her,  in  a  ruddier  glow,  the  figure  of  the  only  man 
whose  lips  her  own  had  ever  kissed,  sword  in  hand,  rush- 
ing on  an  invisible  foe  at  the  head  of  his  father's  herds- 
men. The  vision  came  and  was  gone  as  swiftly  as  a  flash 
of  lightning ;  and  yet,  even  before  it  had  vanished,  she 
knew  all  it  meant  to  her.  Tins  man,  whom  she  had 
named  Joshua,  and  who  had  every  quality  that  could  fit 
him  to  be  the  guardian  and  leader  of  his  people,  should 
not  be  led  astray  by  love  from  the  high  task  to  which  the 
Lord  had  called  him.  None  among  the  Hebrews  should 
hear  the  message  he  had  brought,  and  thereby  be  turned 
away  from  the  perilous  path  on  which  they  had  entered. 
Her  duty  was  now  as  clear  in  her  sight  as  the  vanished 
vision  had  been.  And  as  though  the  Most  High  would 
fain  show  her  that  she  had  understood  rightly  what  the 
vision  demanded  of  her  before  she  had  risen  from  her 
knees  to  announce  to  Joshua  the  sorrow  to  which  she  had 
condemneo  him  and  herself,  she  heard  Hur's  voice  close 
at  hand  bidding  the  crowd,  which  was  gathering  from  all 
sides,  to  form  in  order  for  their  march. 

The  way  of  salvation  from  herself  lay  before  her. 

Joshua,  meanwhile,  had  not  ventured  to  intrude  on  her 
devotions.  He  was  wounded  and  angered  to  the  depths 
of  his  soul  by  her  rejection.     But  gazing  down  on  her  he 


JOSHUA.  121 

had  seen  ner  tall  frame  shiver  as  with  a  sudden  chill,  her 
eyes  and  hands  uplifted  as  if  spell-bound;  and  he  had 
understood  that  something  great  and  sacred  was  stirring 
in  her  soul  which  it  would  be  a  crime  to  disturb  ;  nay,  he 
had  been-  unable  to  resist  an  instinctive  feeling  that  he  was 
a  bold  man  who  could  desire  a  woman  so  closely  one  with 
God.  It  would  be  bliss  indeed  to  be  lord  of  this  sublime 
creature,  but  at  the  same  time  hard  to  see  her  prefer 
another,  though  it  were  the  Almighty,  so  far  above  her 
lover. 

Men  and  beasts  were  already  trooping  in  crowds  past 
the  sycamore,  and  when  at  length  Joshua  decided  that  he 
must  speak  to  Miriam  and  remind  her  of  the  gathering 
throng  she  rose,  and  turning  to  him  spoke  these  vehement 
words  : 

"  I  have  spoken  with  the  Lord,  Joshua,  and  I  now  know 
His  will.  Dost  thou  remember  the  words  with  which  God 
called  thee  ?  " 

He  bowed  his  head  and  she  went  on  : 

"  It  is  well.  Then  learn  now  what  it  is  that  the  Most 
High  God  hath  said  to  thy  father,  and  to  Moses,  and  to 
me.  He  will  lead  us  forth  from  the  land  of  Egypt,  far,  far 
away,  to  a  land  where  neither  Pharaoh  nor  his  rulers  shall 
have  dominion  over  us,  and  He  alone  will  be  our  King. 
This  is  His  will,  and  if  thou  desire  to  serve  Him  thou  shalt 
follow  us,  and,  if  we  have  need  to  fight,  be  captain  over 
the  men  of  our  people." 

At  this  he  beat  his  breast  and  cried  in  great  trouble  : 
"  I  am  bound  by  an  oath  to  return  home  to  Tanis  to  tell 
Pharaoh  how  the  leaders  of  the  Hebrews  have  received  the 
message  which  I  have  brought  to  them.  Yea,  and  even  if 
it  should  break  my  heart  I  cannot  be  forsworn." 

"  And  rather  shall  mine  break,"  Miriam  moaned,  "  than 
I  break  my  vow  to  the  Lord.  We  have  chosen.  And 
here,  in  the  presence  of  this  heap  of  stones,  all  the  ties  are 
cut  which  ever  bound  us  !  " 

At  this  he  was  beside  himself ;  he  eagerly  strove  to 
take  her  hand,  but  she  repulsed  him  with  an  imperious 
gesture,  turned  away  and  went  forward  towards  the  throng 
of  people  who  were  crowding  round  the  well  with  the  cattle 
and  sheep. 

Great  and  small  respectfully  made  way  for  her  as  she 
walked  with  proud  dignity  towards  Ilur,  who  was  giving 


122  JOSHUA. 

orders  to  the  shepherds.  He  came  to  meet  her,  and  when 
he  had  heard  the  promise  she  made  him  in  an  undertone  lie 
laid  his  hand  on  her  head  and  said  with  grave  solemnity  : 
'•  May  the  Lord  bless  our  union." 

Then,  hand  in  hand  with  the  gray-haired  man  to  whom 
she  had  plighted  her  troth,  Miriam  turned  to  meet  Joshua, 
and  nothing  betrayed  the  deep  agitation  of  her  soul  but  the 
fluttering  rise  and  fall  of  her  bosom,  though  her  cheeks 
were  indeed  pale  ;  her  eyes  were  dry,  and  her  demeanor 
as  unbending  as  ever. 

She  left  it  to  Hur  to  tell  the  lover  whom  she  had  rejected, 
now  and  forever,  what  she  had  done  ;  and  when  the 
warrior  heard  it  he  started  back  as  though  a  gulf  had 
yawned  at  his  feet. 

His  lips  were  bloodless  as  he  gazed  at  the  unequally 
matched  pair.  Scornful  laughter  seemed  to  him  the  only 
fit  answer  for  such  an  announcement,  but  Miriam's  earnest 
face  helped  him  to  suppress  it,  and  to  conceal  his  painful 
agitation  under  some  trivial  speech.  However,  he  felt 
that  he  could  not  for  long  preserve  the  semblance  of  indif- 
ference, so  he  bid  Miriam  farewell.  He  must,  as  he  hastily 
explained,  greet  his  father,  and  request  him  to  call  a  meet- 
ing of  the  elders. 

But  before  he  had  done  speaking  the  quarreling  herds- 
men came  crowding  round  Hur  that  he  might  decide  what 
place  in  the  procession  it  behooved  each  tribe  to  take  ;  so 
he  went  with  them  ;  and  as  soon  as  Miriam  found  herself 
alone  with  the  soldier  she  said  beseechingly,  but  in  a  low 
voice  and  with  imploring  eyes  : 

"A  hasty  deed  has  broken  the  bonds  that  united  us, 
but  a  higher  tie  still  holds  us  together.  As  I  have  given 
up  that  which  my  heart  held  dearest,  to  be  faithful  to  my 
God  and  my  people,  so  do  thou  sacrifice  that  to  which  thy 
soul  clings.  Obey  the  Most  High,  who  hath  named  thee 
Joshua  !  This  hour  hath  changed  our  gladness  to  bitter 
grief  ;  may  the  good  of  the  people  be  its  fruit !  Remain  a 
true  son  of  the  race  which  gave  thee  thy  father  and  mother, 
and  be  what  the  Lord  hath  called  thee  to  be,  a  captain  of 
His  people. 

"  If  thou  abide  by  the  oath  thou  hast  sworn  to  Pharaoh, 
and  reveal  to  the  ciders  the  promises  thou  hast  brought, 
they  will  go  over  to  thy  side  ;  that  I  know  full  well.  Few 
"Will  stand  up  against  thee,  but  foremost  of  these  few  will 


JOSHUA.  123 

be  thine  own  father.  I  can  hear  him  uplift  his  voice  in 
anger  against  his  own  beloved  son  ;  and  if  thou' shut  thine 
ear  even  to  his  admonition,  then  the  people  will  follow  thee 
instead  of  following  the  Lord,  and  thou  wilt  lead  the 
Israelites  as  a  mighty  man  of  valor.  But,  then,  when  the 
day  comes  in  which  the  Egyptian  lets  his  promises  fly  to 
the  four  winds,  thou  wilt  see  thy  people  more  cruelly 
oppressed  than  even  heretofore,  and  when  they  turn  aside 
from  the  God  of  their  fathers  to  worship  the  gods  with  the 
heads  of  beasts  the  curse  of  thy  father  shall  fall  upon  thee. 
The  wrath  of  the  Most  High  shall  be  visited  upon  the  fro- 
ward,  and  despair  shall  be  the  lot  of  him  who  shall  lead 
the  foolish  folk  astray  after  that  the  Lord  hath  chosen  him 
to  be  the  captain  of  His  people.  I,  a  weak  woman,  the 
handmaid  of  the  Lord,  and  the  damsel  who  loved  thee 
better  than  life — I  cry  unto  thee,  '  Beware  of  the  curse  of 
thy  father  and  the  hand  of  the  Lord  !  Beware  lest  thou 
lead  the  people  into  sin  ! '  " 

A  slave  girl  here  came  out  to  Miriam  to  bid  her  go  to 
the  old  people,  so  she  only  added  in  a  low  voice  :  "  One 
word  more.  If  thou  wouldst  prove  thyself  not  less  weak 
than  the  woman  whose  opposition  moved  thee  to  anger, 
renounce  thine  own  will  for  the  sake  of  the  multitude  of 
thy  brethren.  Lay  thine  hand  on  this  heap  and  swear  to 
mi—" 

But  the  prophetess'  voice  failed  her.  Her  hands  felt 
about  vainly  for  some  support,  and  with  a  cry  she  fell  on 
her  knees  close  to  Hur's  heap  of  stones.  Joshua  hastened 
to  raise  her,  holding  her  in  his  strong  arms,  and  at  his  call 
some  women  hurried  up  and  soon  revived  the  fainting  girl. 

As  she  opened  her  eyes  they  wandered  vaguely  from  one 
to  another,  and  it  was  not  till  her  gaze  fell  on  Joshua's 
anxious  face  that  she  fully  understood  where  she  was  and 
what  had  happened.  Then  she  hastily  drank  a  deep 
draught  of  the  water  which  a  shepherd  woman  offered  her, 
dried  her  eyes  which  were  streaming  with  tears,  sighed 
bitterly,  and  with  a  wan  smile  said  to  Joshua  : 

"  I  am  after  all  but  a  weak  woman." 

Then  she  went  towards  the  house,  but  after  walking  a 
few  steps  she  turned  round,  signed  to  Joshua,  and  said  : 

"  You  see  they  are  forming  in  ranks.  They  are  about 
to  set  forth.  Are  you  still  of  the  same  mind?  There  is 
yet  time  to  call  the  ciders  together." 


124  JOSHUA* 

But  he  shook  his  head  in  denial,  and,  as  lie  met  her  eye 
glistening  with  gratitude,  lie  softly  replied:  "I  will  ever 
bear  in  mind  this  heap,  and  this  hour,  wife  of  Hur  !  Greet 
my  father  from  me,  and  tell  him  that  I  love  him.  Tell 
him,  too,  the  name  which  his  son  is  henceforth  to  hear  by 
the  command  of  the  Most  High.  In  that  name,  which 
promised  me  the  help  of  the  Lord,  he  shall  put  his  trust 
when  he  hears  whither  I  go,  to  keep  the  oath  I  have  sworn." 

lie  waved  his  hand  to  Miriam,  and  turned  to  go  to  the 
>  amp,  where  his  horse  had  been  fed  and  watered,  but  she 
called  after  him  : 

"  One  last  word.  Moses  left  a  letter  for  you  in  the 
hollow  of  the  tree."  At  this  the  warrior  went  to  the 
sycamore  and  read  the  message  which  the  man  of  God  had 
left  for  him. 

"  ]>c  steadfast  and  strong,"  was  the  brief  injunction,  and 
Joshua  raised  his  head  and  cried  joyfully  :  "  The  words  are 
a  comfort  to  my  soul ;  and  if  it  is  for  the  last  time  that  we 
have  met,  wife  of  Hur,  if  I  now  go  to  my  death,  be  sure 
that  I  shall  know  how  to  be  steadfast  and  strong,  even 
unto  the  end.  And  do  you  do  all  you  can  for  my  old 
father." 

Herewith  he  sprang  on  horseback,  and  as  he  made  his 
way  to  Tanis,  faithful  to  his  oath,  his  soul  was  free  from 
fears,  although  he  did  not  conceal  from  himself  that  he  was, 
riding  forth  to  great  peril.  His  highest  hopes  were 
destroyed,  and  yet  glad  excitement  struggled  with  the  grief 
in  his  soul.  A  new  and  glorious  emotion  had  its  birth 
there,  filling  his  whole  being,  and  it  was  scarcely  damped 
though  he  had  suffered  a  wound  cruel  enough  to  darken 
the  light  of  day  to  any  other  man.  He  had  now  a  fixed 
aim  in  life,  and,  besides  this,  he  had  the  assurance  that  he 
might  hold  himself  as  worthy  as  Hur  or  as  any  other  man. 
None  could  depose  him  from  this  high  place  but  the 
glorious  twain  to  whom  he  would  dedicate  his  blood  and 
his  life  :  his  God  and  his  people. 

He  was  amazed  to  discern  how  greatly-this  new  enthu- 
siasm cast  into  the  shade  everything  else  that  stirred  in  his 
breast.  Now  and  again,  indeed,  he  bowed  his  head  in 
sorrow  as  he  remembered  his  old  father  ;  still,  he  had  done 
right  in  setting  aside  his  longing  to  press  him  once  more  to 
his  heart.  The  old  man  would  scarcely  have  understood 
his  motives,  and  it  was  better  for  them  to  separate  without 
meeting  rather  than  in  open  dissension. 


JOSHUA.  \*i 

Sometimes  it  seemed  to  him  as  though  all  that  had 
happened  could  be  but  a  dream  ;  and  as  he  was  still 
intoxicated,  as  it  were,  by  the  agitations  cf  the  last  few 
hours,  his  stalwart  frame  was  but  little  conscious  of  the 
fatigues  he  had  gone  through.  At  a  well-known  inn  on  the 
road,  where  he  found  several  warriors,  and  among  them 
certain  captains  well  known  to  him,  he  at  length  allowed 
himself  and  his  horse  to  rest  and  eat;  and  as  he  rode  on 
refreshed,  daily  life  asserted  its  rights.  He  passed  various 
companies  of  soldiers  on  their  way  to  the  city  of  Tanis,  and 
was  informed  that  they  were  under  orders  tu  join  them- 
selves there  to  the  troops  which  he  himself  had  brought 
home  from  Libya. 

At  last  he  rode  into  the  town,  and  as  he  went  past  the 
temple  of  Anion  he  heard  loud  wailing,  though  he  had 
learned  on  his  way  that  the  pestilence  was  wellnigh  at  an 
end.  From  many  signs  he  gathered  the  fact  which  was 
presently  announced  to  him  by  some  guards,  the  god's 
high  priest  and  first  prophet,  Ruie,  had  just  died  in  the 
90th  year  of  his  age,  and  Baie,  the  second  prophet,  who 
had  so  warmly  assured  him  of  his  friendship  and  gratitude, 
and  who  counted  on  his  co-operation  in  a  dangerous 
enterprise,  was  his  successor — high  priest  and  judge,  seal- 
bearer  and  treasurer;  in  short,  the  most  powerful  man  in 
the  kingdom. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

"  He  whom  Tchovah  helps  !  "  murmured  a  chain-laden 
prisoner  with  a  bitter  smile,  as  five  days  later,  he,  with 
forty  fellow-sufferers,  was  led  through  the  triumphal  arch 
of  Tanis  toward  the  east. 

Their  destination  was  the  mines  on  the  peninsula  of 
Sinai,  where  fresh-forced  laborers  were  needed. 

The  smile  on  the  victim's  face  soon  vanished  ;  then  he 
drew  up  his  muscular  form  while  his  bearded  lips  muttered 
the  words  :  "  Steadfast  and  strong  !  "  and  he  whispered  to 
the  youth  who  was  walking  at  his  side,  as  though  he 
wished  to  convey  to  him  some  of  the  strength  that  he  had 
recovered :  "  Courage,  Ephraim,  courage  ;  look  up  and 
not  in  the  dust,  come  what  may  1 " 


126  JOSHUA. 

"Silence  whilst  marching!"  cried  one  of  the  armed 
Libyan  guards  who  escorted  the  gang  to  the  elder  prisoner, 
and  he  raised  his  whip  with  a  menacing  gesture.  Joshua 
was  the  man  he  threatened,  and  his  companion  was 
Ephraim,  who  had  been  condemned  to  share  his  fate. 

Every  Egyptian  child  knew  what  this  meant,  for  "Sena 
me  to  the  mines  !"  was  this  people's  most  dreadful  impre- 
cation, and  no  prisoner's  lot  was  half  so  hard  as  that  of  the 
condemned  state  criminal. 

A  series  of  frightful  humiliations  and  hardships  awaited 
them  at  the  mines.  The:  strength  of  the  healthiest  was 
ruined  by  unheard-of  over-work,  and  the  exhausted  victims 
were  forced  to  do  things  so  far  beyond  their  power  that  they 
soon  sank  into  the  everlasting  rest  for  which  their  martyred 
souls  had  long  pined. 

Joshua's  encouraging  words  had  little  effect  on  Ephraim  ; 
but  when  a  few  minutes  later  a  chariot,  shaded  by  an 
umbrella,  drove  past  the  gang,  and  in  it,  behind  the 
charioteer  and  a  matron,  stood  an  elegant  young  woman, 
he  turned  round  quickly  and  gazed  after  the  vehicle  with 
sparkling  eyes,  until  the  dust  on  the  road  hid  it  from  sight. 

The  lady  was  thickly  veiled,  yet  the  youth  thought  that 
he  had  recognized  her  for  whose  sake  he  had  rushed  into 
peril,  and  whose  lightest  sign  he  would  even  now  fly  to 
obey.  And  Ephraim  had  guessed  correctly,  for  the  young 
lady  in  the  chariot  was  Kasana,  the  daughter  of  the  captain 
of  the  archers  ;  the  elder  woman  was  her  nurse. 

On  reaching  a  little  temple  on  the  road,  near  a  thicket 
of  acacia,  among  which  stood  a  well  for  the  use  of  travelers, 
after  the  chariot  had  left  the  prisoners  at  some  distance 
behind,  Kasana  begged  the  matron  to  wait.  Then, 
springing  out  lightly  on  the  road,  she  walked  to  and  fro 
with  a  bowed  head  under  the  shadow  of  the  trees  until  she 
knew  by  a  rolling  cloud  of  dust  that  the  criminals  were 
approaching. 

Then,  taking  out  of  her  garment  some  gold  rings  which 
she  had  brought  with  her  for  the  purpose,  she  went  up  to 
the  driver  of  the  melancholy  procession  as  he  drew  near  on 
an  ass,  and  while  she  talked  to  him  ami  pointed  to  Joshua 
the  guard  cast  a  stolen  glance  at  the  rings  which  had  been 
slipped  into  his  hand.  His  modesty  had  only  allowed  him  to 
expect  silver,  and  his  face  at  once  assumed  a  friendly  and 
courteous  expression  at  the  sight  of  their  pleasing  ycllov 
glitter. 


JOSHUA.  127 

Kis  countenance  certainly  darkened  again  at  the  demand 
Kasana  made,  but  it  brightened  once  more  at  a  promise  of 
further  largesse  from  the  young  widow.  "  Take  the  moles 
to  the  well,  men  !  Let  them  drink  !  They  shall  go  fresh 
and  healthy  underground  !  " 

Then  he  rode  up  to  the  prisoners  and  called  to  Joshua : 
"  You,  who  have  yourself  once  ruled  over  many  people, 
seem  to  me  more  stiff-necked  still  than  is  good  for  you  or 
me.  You,  guards,  look  after  the  others.  I  will  watch  this 
one  ;  I  have  a  few  words  to  say  to  him." 

Then  he  clapped  his  hands  as  if  he  was  driving  poultry 
from  a  garden,  and  whilst  the  prisoners  drew  water  in  the 
buckets  of  the  well,  and,  with  their  guards,  rejoiced  in  the 
refreshing  drink,  the  leader  led  Joshua  and  Ephraim  on  one 
side,  for  they  could  not  be  separated  by  reason  of  the  chains 
that  bound  them  together  by  the  ankles.  They  were  soon 
hidden  from  the  others  behind  the  little  temple,  and  then 
the  driver  sank  down  on  a  bench  at  a  little  distance,  having 
first,  with  a  significant  gesture,  shown  the  two  Hebrews 
the  bludgeon  in  his  right  hand,  and  pointed  to  the  dogs 
who  were  rubbing  against  his  feet. 

He  kept  his  eyes  open,  too,  during  the  conversation  that 
followed.  They  might  say  what  they  pleased ;  he  knew 
his  duty,  and  though  he  understood  how  to  shut  one  eye 
on  a  parting  in  return  for  good  gold,  for  quite  twenty 
years,  in  spite  of  many  attempts  to  escape  amongst  his 
moles — as  he  called  those  condemned  to  the  mines — not 
one  had  ever  succeeded  in  getting  away. 

This  lovely  woman  was  perhaps  this  fine  fellow's 
betrothed,  for  he  had  been  told  that  Joshua  had  been  com- 
mander. But  he  had  already  called  many  noble  birds 
"moles,"  and  if  this  veiled  woman  should  contrive  to  slip 
files  or  gold  into  the  prisoner's  hands  so  much  the  better; 
this  evening  nothing  on  these  two  should  be  left  unsearched, 
not  even  the  youth's  black  hair,  which  had  been  left  unshorn 
in  the  confusion  that  had  taken  place  at  the  start  of  the 
prisoners,  for  they  had  been  sent  off  just  before  the  depar- 
ture of  Pharaoh's  army. 

The  subject  of  the  woman's  whispered  negotiations  with 
the  fallen  captain  remained  unknown  to  the  driver,  but 
from  her  sorrowful  face  and  manner  he  inferred  that  she 
had  caused  the  ruin  of  this  noble  man.  Oh!  woman, 
woman !  and  that  lad  in  chains  !     The  glances  he  cast  at 


128  JOSHUA. 

the  slender  creature  were  so  ardent  that  she  had  to  draw 
her  veil  closer.  But  patience  I  Great  Father  Anion! 
His  moles  were  going»to  a  good  school  for  modesty. 

Now  the  woman  removed  her  veil.  She  was  beautiful ! 
It  must  be  hard  to  part  with  such  a  lovely  creature  ;  and 
now  she  cried  so  bitterly. 

The  rough  guard's  heart  was  touched  as  much  as  his 
position  would  allow,  and  he  could  have  struck  the  elder 
prisoner  with  his  whip,  for  was  it  not  an  outrage,  having 
such  a  lover,  to  stand  like  stone?  At  first  the  wretch  did 
not  even  stretch  out  a  hand  to  the  woman,  who  certainly 
loved  him  ;  whilst  he,  the  guard,  would  have  been  glad  to 
see  the  two  kiss  and  embrace. 

Or  was  this  beauty  perhaps  the  warrior's  wife,  who  had 
deceived  him?  But  no,  no,  how  kindly  he  approached 
her  now.  A  father  speaks  like  that  to  his  child,  but  his 
"  mole  "  was  much  too  young  to  have  so  old  a  daughter. 
A  riddle  !  However,  he  did  not  care  about  the  answer, 
since  it  was  in  his  power  during  the  march  to  make  the 
most  taciturn  convict  as  frank  as  an  open  book. 

And  not  alone  the- simple  driver  of  the  gang,  but  every- 
one might  have  wondered  why  this  beautiful  woman  had 
come  out  into  the  highway  at  early  dawn  to  see  an  un- 
fortunate man  weighed  down  with  chains. 

Nothing  but  tormenting  anxiety  for  the  man  she  loved 
could,  have  impelled  Kasana  to  take  this  journey  and 
expose  herself  to  scorn  as  a  woman  of  no  reputation.  A 
terrible  fate  awaited  him  ;  her  lively  imagination  had  pic- 
tured Joshua  in  the  mines  languishing,  broken  down,  pining 
away,  and  at  last  dying  with  a  curse  on  her  upon  his  lips. 

On  the  evening  of  the  day  on  which  Ephraim,  shivering 
with  high  fever  and  half  choked  with  dust,  was  carried 
into  their  house,  her  father  had  informed  her  that  in  the 
person  of  the  young  Hebrew  she  held  a  hostage  which 
would  force  Joshua  to  return  to  Tanis,  and  yield  to  the 
wishes  of  the  prophet  Baie,  with  whom  she  knew  her  father 
to  be  allied  in  a  secret  plot.  He  likewise  confided  to  her 
that  not  only  were  great  distinctions  and  high  honors  to 
be  offered  to  Joshua,  but  also  marriage  with  herself,  to  secure 
his  fidelity  to  Egypt  and  to  a  cause  from  which  he,  Hor- 
necht,  looked  for  great  benefits  to  the  country  and  to  his 
own  kindred.  This  had  filled  her  with  high  hopes  of 
ntlaining  long-wished-for  joys  ;  and  as   they  sat  near  the 


JOSHUA.  129 

little  road-side  temple,  she  now  confessed  this  to  the 
prisoner  with  a  drooping  head  and  low  sobs  ;  fur  he  was 
now  forever  lost  to  her,  and  even  if  he  could  not  return  the 
love  she  had  felt  for  him  since  her  childhood,  he  at  any 
rate  would  not  hate  her  and  condemn  her  unheard. 

Joshua,  indeed,  listened  to  her  willingly,  and  assured  her 
that  nothing  would  gladden  his  heart  more  than  that  she 
should  clear  herself  from  the  reproach  of  being  answer- 
able for  the  terrible  fate  awaiting  himself  and  the  youth  by 
his  side. 

At  this  she  sobbed  aloud,  and  had  to  struggle  to  com- 
pose herself  before  she  could  succeed  in  telling  her  story 
with  any  degree  of  calmness. 

Shortly  after  Joshua's  departure  the  high  priest  had  died, 
and  Baie,  the  second  prophet  of  Anion,  had  succeeded  him. 
Things  were  then  greatly  altered;  this  man,  the  most 
powerful  in  the  land,  stirred  up  Pharaoh  to  hatred  against 
the  Hebrews  and  their  leader,  Moses,  whom,  till  then,  the 
king  and  queen  had  protected  and  feared.  He  had  also 
persuaded  the  king  to  pursue  the  fugitive  Hebrews,  and 
the  army  was  at  once  ordered  to  go  forth  and  compel  them 
to  return.  She  immediately  feared  that  Joshua  would 
certainly  refuse  to  fight  against  those  who  were  of  his  own 
blood,  and  that  it  must  anger  him  to  be  sent  forth  to  sign 
a  contract  which  the  Egyptians  would  begin  to  break 
before  they  could  know  whether  it  had  been  accepted. 
Then,  when  he  had  returned  home,  he  himself  knew  only 
too  well  how  Pharaoh  had  treated  him  like  a  prisoner,  and 
had  refused  to  admit  him  to  his  presence  until  he  had 
sworn  to  continue  to  lead  the  Egyptian  troops,  and 
remain  a  faithful  servant  to  the  king.  Still,  Baie,  the  high 
priest,  had  not  forgotten  that  he  had  saved  his  life,  and 
was  well  disposed  toward  him  and  grateful  ;  and  she  knew 
that  he  had  hoped  to  entangle  Joshua  in  the  secret  con- 
spiracy in  which  her  father  also  was  implicated.  It  was 
Baie,  too,  who  had  caused  Pharaoh  to  release  him  from 
fighting  against  his  own  nation  on  condition  of  his  renew- 
ing his  oath  of  fidelity,  to  place  him  in  command  of  the 
foreign  mercenaries,  and  to  raise  him  to  the  high  rank  of 
"  Friend  of  the  King" — but  of  course  he  must  know  all 
this  already,  for  the  new  high  priest  had  with  his  own  hand 
set  the  tempting  prospect  before  Joshua,  who  had  rejected 
it  with  firm  and   manly  decision.      Her  father  had  in   the 

9 


i3o  JOSHUA. 

first  instance  been  on  his  side,  and  for  the  first  time  had 
entirely  refrained  from  speaking  with  reproach  of  his 
I  [ebrew  origin. 

(  >n  the  third  day  after  Joshua's  return  the  captain  of  the 
archers  had  gone  out  to  speak  with  him,  and  since  then 
everything  had  gone  wrong.  He  therefore  must  know 
what  it  was  that  had  turned  the  man  of  whom  she  dared 
think  no  evil,  since  she  was  his  daughter,  from  being  a 
friend  into  a  mortal  enemy.  She  looked  inquiringly  into 
Joshua's  face,  and  he  was  ready  with  his  answer.  The 
captain  had  told  him  that  he  would  be  a  welcome  son- 
in-law. 

"And  you,"  asked  Kasana,  looking  anxiously  at  the 
speaker. 

"  I,"  replied  the  prisoner,  "  could  only  say  that  you  had 
from  your  childhood  been  kind  and  dear  to  me,  but  that 
nevertheless  there  was  much  to  forbid  my  linking  the  fate 
of  any  woman  to  mine." 

At  this  Kasana's  eyes  flashed  and  she  cried:  "It  is 
because  you  love  another — a  woman  of  your  own  people — 
the  woman  who  sent  Ephraim  to  you  !  " 

But  Joshua  shook  his  head  and  answered  gently  :  "  You 
are  in  error,  Kasana.  The  woman  of  whom  you  speak  is 
this  day  another  man's  wife." 

"  But  then,"  cried  the  widow,  with  revived  spirit,  and 
she  looked  at  him  with  tender  entreaty,  "  why — oh  forgive 
me — why  did  you  repulse  him  so  harshly  ?  " 

"  That  was  far  from  my  purpose,  dear  child,"  he  replied 
warmly,  laying  his  hand  on  her  head.  "  I  always  have 
thought  of  you  with  all  the  affection  of  which  I  am  capable. 
And  though  I  could  not,  indeed,  accede  to  his  wish,  it  was 
because  the  sternest  necessity  forbids  me  ever  to  look  for- 
ward to  that  peace  and  joy  by  my  own  hearth  which  other 
men  may  strive  for.  If  I  had  been  a  free  man  my  life 
would  have  been  one  of  constant  journeying  and  warfare." 

"  But  how  many  men,"  Kasana  put  in,  "  wield  the  sword 
and  shield,  indeed,  but  rejoice  at  their  home-coming  to 
their  wives,  and  the  joys  they  find  under  their  own  roof?  " 

"Very  true,"  said  he  sadly.  "  But  the  duties  that  call 
me  are  such  as  the  Egyptians  know  not  of.  I  am  the  son 
of  my  nation." 

"  And  you  propose  to  serve  it?  "  said  Kasana.  "  Oh  ! 
I  quite  understand  you.  But  then — why  did  you  return  to 
ranis?    Why  did  you  trust  yourself  in  Pharaoh's  power?" 


JOSHUA.  131 

"  Because  I  was  pledged  by  a  sacred  oath,  my  child." 
said  lie  kindly. 

"  An  oath  !  "  she  exclaimed.  ':  A  promise  that  puts 
death  and  captivity  between  you  and  her  whom  you  love, 
and  those  whom  you  desire  to  serve  !  Oh  !  would  that 
you  had  never  come  back  to  this  land  of  unrighteousness, 
of  treachery  and  ingratitude  !  That  oath  will  plunge  many 
into  grief  and  weeping.  Cut  what  does  a  man  care  for  the 
woe  he  brings  on  others  ?  You  have  spoilt  all  my  joy  in 
life,  hapless  creature  that  I  am  ;  and  at  home,  among  your 
own  people,  you  have  a  worthy  father  whose  only  son  you 
are.  How  often  have  I  seen  the  noble  old  man  with  his 
snow-white  hair  and  Hashing  eye?  And  you  will  be  like 
him  if  you  attain  to  old  age,  as  I  used  to  think  when  I  met 
him  by  the  harbor,  or  in  the  four-court  of  the  High  Gate, 
when  he  was  ordering  his  hinds  to  bring  in  his  tribute  of 
beasts  or  woolly  sheep  to  the  receipt  of  custom.  And  now 
his  latter  days  are  to  be  darkened  by  his  son's  perversity." 

"And,  now,"  corrected  Joshua,  "his  son  is  going  into 
misery,  loaded  with  fetters;  still  he  may  hold  his  head 
high  above  those  who  have  betrayed  him.  They,  and 
Pharaoh  at  their  head,  have  forgotten  that  I  have  shed  my 
heart's  blood  for  them  on  many  a  battle-field,  and  been 
faithful  to  the  king  through  every  kind  of  danger. 
Meuephtah  has  abandoned  me,  and  with  him  his  chief 
minister,  whose  life  I  saved,  and  many  another  who  once 
called  me  friend  ;  they  have  deserted  me  and  cast  me  out, 
and  this  innocent  lad  with  me.  But,  I  tell  you,  woman, 
those  who  have  done  this,  those  who  have  committed  this 
sin — one  and  all,  shall " 

"Curse,  them  not!"  cred  Kasana,  and  her  cheeks 
flushed  scarlet. 

But  Joshua  did  not  heed  her  prayer,  but  exclaimed  : 
"  Should  I  be  a  man  if  I  did  not  thirst  for  vengeance  ?  " 

The  young  woman  clung  in  terror  to  his  arm  and  beseech- 
ingly went  on  : 

"  How,  indeed,  can  you  forgive  him  ?  Only  do  not 
curse  him,  for  it  was  out  of  love  for  me  that  my  father 
became  your  enemy.  You  know  him  wdl,  and  his  hot 
blood,  which  easily  carries  him  to  extremes  in  spite  of  his 
years.  He  kept  silence,  even  to  me,  of  what  he  took  as 
an  insult — for  he  has  seen  me  courted  by  many  suitors, 
and  I  am  precious  above  all  else  in  his  eyes.     Sooner  will 


r32  JOSHUA. 

Pharaoh  forgive  the  rebel  than  my  father  will  pardon  the 
man  who  scorns  me,  his  dearest  treasure.  He  came  home 
frantic  with  rage.  Every  word  he  spoke  was  abuse.  Then 
he  could  not  bear  to  remain  indoors,  and  he  stormed  out- 
side as  he  had  stormed  within.  At  last,  however,  he  would 
have  allowed  himself  to  be  pacified,  as  he  often  had  done 
before,  if  he  had  not  met  someone  in  the  palace  courts 
who  made  it  his  business  to  pour  oil  on  the  flames.  I 
heard  all  this  from  the  high  priest's  wife,  for  she,  too,  was 
greatly  troubled  to  think  that  she  had  brought  evil  upon 
you,  and  her  husband  had  already  done  everything  in  his 
power  to  save  you.  She,  who  is  as  brave  as  a  man,  was 
ready  to  second  him  and  to  open  the  door  of  your  prison; 
she  has  not  forgotten  that  you  saved  her  husband's  life  in 
Libya.  Ephraim's  chains  were  to  be  struck  off  at  the  same 
time  as  yours,  and  all  was  ready  to  enable  you  to  escape." 

"  I  know,"  replied  Joshua  gloomily.  "  And  I  would 
return  thanks  to  the  God  of  my  fathers  if  they  spoke  falsely 
who  told  me  that  it  was  your  doing,  Kasana,  that  our 
dungeon  was  locked  on  us  more  closely  than  ever."  At 
this  the  pretty  heart-broken  young  creature  exclaimed 
vehemently:  "  And  should  I  be  here  if  that  were  true  ? 
Hatred  indeed  seethed  in  my  soul,  as  in  that  of  every 
woman  whose  love  is  scorned  ;  but  the  ill-fortune  which 
befell  you  quickly  changed  my  wrath  into  pity,  and  revived 
the  fires  in  my  heart.  As  truly  as  I  pray  to  be  mercifully 
judged  after  my  death,  I  am  innocent  of  this  thing,  and 
never  ceased  to  hope  for  your  release.  It  was  not  until 
last  evening,  when  it  was  too  late,  that  I  learned  that 
Baie's  attempt  had  failed.  The  high  priest  can  do  much, 
but  the  very  man  whom  he  will  not  thwart  is  closely  allied 
to  my  father." 

"  You  mean  Pharaoh's  nephew,  Prince  Siptah,"  inter- 
rupted Joshua  in  great  excitement.  "  They  hinted  to  me 
the  plots  they  were  weaving  about  him.  The)-  wanted  to 
set  me  in  the  place  of  Aarsu,  the  Syrian  captain,  if  I  would 
but  consent  to  let  them  work  their  will  with  my  people  and 
renounce  my  own  flesh  and  blood.  Put  rather  would  I 
have  died  twenty  deaths  than  stain  myself  with  such  trea- 
son. Aarsu  is  far  more  fit  for  such  dark  schemes,  though 
at  last  he  will  betray  them  all.  So  far  as  I  am  concerned, 
the  prince  has  good  reason  to  hate  me." 

At  this  Kasana  put  her  hand  over  her  mouth,  pointing 


JOSHUA.  133 

uneasily  to  Ephraim  and  the  gaoler,  and  whispered : 
"  Spare  my  father  !  The  prince — whatever  it  was  that 
roused  his  enmity " 

"  He  is  seeking  to  tempt  you,  too,  into  his  net,  and  he 
has  been  told  that  you  are  in  love  with  me,"  the  warrior 
broke  in.  But  she  only  blushed,  and  bending  her  head  in 
assent  went  on  : 

"  And  for  that  reason  Aarsu,  whom  he  has  taken  into 
the  conspiracy,  is  bound  to  keep  such  close  ward  over  you 
and  Ephraim." 

"The  Syrian's  eyes  are  wide  open,"  cried  Joshua.  "  But 
I  believe  you,  and  thank  you  heartily  for  coming  to  us 
hapless  wretches." 

"  And  you  will  always  think  of  poor  Kasana  without 
wrath  or  hatred  ?  " 

"  Gladly,  most  gladly." 

The  young  widow  grasped  the  captive's  hand  with  pas- 
sionate agitation,  and  was  about  to  press  it  to  her  lips,  but 
he  drew  it  away  ;  and  she  said  anxiously,  gazing  up  at  him 
with  tearful  eyes  :  "  Do  you  refuse  me  the  favor  which  no 
benefactor  refuses  to  a  beggar  ?  "  Then  she  suddenly 
started  up,  and  exclaimed  so  loudly  that  the  gaoler  was 
roused,  and  looked  to  see  where  the  sun  was  :  "  But  I  tell 
you,  that  the  time  will  come  when  you  will  offer  me  that 
hand  to  kiss.  For  when  the  messenger  shall  come  from 
Tanis  to  bring  you  and  this  lad  the  freedom  you  pine  for, 
it  will  be  to  Kasana  that  you  will  owe  it  !  " 

The  fair  face  glowed  with  the  flush  of  eager  anticipation, 
and  Joshua,  seizing  her  hand,  exclaimed  :  "  Oh,  if  only  you 
might  succeed  in  doing  what  your  faithful  soul  desires  ! 
How  can  I  bear  to  prevent  your  trying  to  alleviate  the  ter- 
rible misfortune  which  fell  upon  this  boy  under  your  roof? 
Still,  as  an  honest  man,  I  must  tell  you  that  I  can  never 
more  take  service  with  the  Egyptians  ;  come  what  may,  I 
shall  henceforth  forever  belong,  body  and  soul,  to  those 
whom  you  persecute  and  despise,  the  nation  and  tribe  into 
which  my  mother  bore  me." 

At  this  her  lovely  head  dropped  ;  but  she  raised  it  again 
immediately  to  say  :  "  There  is  no  one  so  high-souled  and 
honest  as  you,  no  one  that  I  have  ever  known  from  my 
childhood  up.  And  when,  among  my  own  people,  I  fail  to 
find  any  man  whom  I  may  reverence,  still  I  will  remember 
you,  in  whom  everything  is  great,  and  true,  and  without 


l34  JOSHUA. 

spot.  And  if  poor  Kasana  may  succeed  in  setting  you 
free,  do  not  despise  her  if  you  find  her  fallen  away  from 
the  virtue  in  which  you  left  her;  for  the  humiliation  she 
may  have  to  endure,  the  shame  she  may  be  brought  to — " 

[oshua  anxiously  interrupted  her. 

"  What  are  you  about  to  do  ?  "  he  cried  ;  but  he  was  not 
to  hear  the  answer,  for  the  leader  of  the  gang  rose  and 
clapped  his  hands,  crying  out  :  "  Now,  on  again,  you  moles, 
on  again,  at  once." 

At  this  the  warrior's  heart  was  moved  to  deep  regret. 
Obedient  to  a  hasty  impulse  he  kissed  the  hapless 
Kasana  on  her  fair  brow  and  hair,  and  whispered  :  "  Leave 
me  to  pine  if  our  freedom  is  to  cost  you  such  degrada- 
tion. We  shall  never,  indeed,  meet  again  ;  for,  come 
what  may,  my  life  henceforth  will  be  nothing  but  a  struggle 
and  self-sacrifice.  The  night  will  close  in  on  us  darker 
and  darker;  but,  however  black  it  may  be,  one  star  will 
often  shine  on  me  and  on  this  lad — the  remembrance  of 
you,  sweet  child,  my  loving  and  faithful  Kasana."  He 
pointed  to  Ephraim,  and  the  youth  pressed  his  lips,  as  if 
beside  himself,  to  the  hand  and  arm  of  Kasana.  who  was 
sobbing  aloud. 

"  Come  on  !  "  cried  the  driver  once  more,  and  with  a 
grateful  grin  for  a  fresh  gift  of  money  he  helped  the  open- 
handed  lady  into  her  chariot. 

The  horses  started,  fresh  shouts  were  heard,  the  whip 
cracked  here  and  there  on  bare  shoulders,  a  few  yells  of 
anguish  rose  through  the  morning  air,  and  the  file  of  pri- 
soners went  off  towards  the  east.  The  chains  on  the  vic- 
tims' feet  stirred  up  the  dust  which  shrouded  the  wanderers, 
as  grief,  and  hatred,  and  dread,  clouded  each  separate  soul 
among  them. 

On  they  went,  bent  in  gloomy  brooding  ;  only  Joshua 
held  his  head  erect.  It  was  a  comfort  to  him  to  know 
that  Kasana,  the  sweet  creature  he  had  loved  as  a  child, 
was  innocent  of  his  fate  ;  and  when  his  spirit  sank  within 
him  he  could  revive  it  by  repeating  to  himself  the  words 
of  Moses  :     "  Steadfast  and  strong." 


JOSHUA.  135 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

At  a  long  hour's  distance  beyond  the  little  temple  where 
the  prisoners  had  rested,  the  road  leading  southwards  to 
Succoth  and  Baal  Zephon  parted  from  that  which  led  in  a 
south  easterly  direction,  across  the  fortified  frontier  line, 
to  the  isthmus  and  the  mines. 

Not  long  after  the  departure  of  the  prisoners  the  army 
gathered  together  to  pursue  the  Hebrews  had  set  forth 
from  the  city  of  Rameses,  and  as  the  criminals  had  rested 
some  considerable  time  by  the  well,  the  troops  had  nearly 
overtaken  them.  Thus  they  had  not  gone  much  further 
when  some  pioneers  rode  up  to  clear  the  highway  for  the 
approaching  host.  They  ordered  the  gang  of  prisoners  to 
stand  aside,  and  proceed  no  farther  till  the  swift  baggage 
train  containing  Pharaoh's  tents  and  household  gear  should 
have  passed  them  ;  and,  indeed,  the  king's  chariot  wheels 
could  already  be  heard. 

The  drivers  were  well  content  to  be  bidden  to  wait ; 
they  were  in  no  hurry  ;  the  day  was  hot,  and  if  they  were 
late  in  reaching  their  journey's  end  it  was  the  fault  of  the 
army.  To  Joshua,  too,  the  incident  was  agreeable,  for  his 
young  companion  in  chains  had  been  staring  before  him 
as  if  in  delirium,  and  had  answered  his  questions  vaguely 
or  not  at  all,  so  that  the  older  man  was  growing  uneasy. 
He  knew  full  well  how  many  of  those  condemned  to  forced 
labor  fell  into  madness  or  melancholy.  And  now  a  portion 
of  the  host  would  march  past  them,  and  the  sight  was  new 
to  the  lad.  and  might  rouse  him  from  his  dull  moodiness. 
There  was  by  the  roadside  a  sand  hill  overgrown  by 
tamarisk  bushes,  and  to  this  the  driver  led  his  file  of  men. 
He  was  stern,  but  not  cruel,  so  he  allowed  his  "  moles  " 
to  stretch  themselves  on  the  sand,  for  the  march  past 
would  be  a  long  business.  They  had  scarcely  settled 
themselves  when  the  roll  of  wheels,  the  neighing  of  fiery 
steeds,  and  shouts  of  command  were  heard,  with  now  and 
then  the  harsh  bray  of  an  ass. 

As  the  foremost  chariots  approached,  Ephraim  inquired 


!36  JOSHUA. 

whether  Pharaoh  were  not  coming  ;  but  Joshua  informed 
him,  with  a  smile,  that  when  the  king  led  forth  his  troops 
to  battle-  first  of  all,  immediately  after  the  advanced  guard, 
the  king's  camp  and  furniture  were  sent  on  :  for  that 
Pharaoh  and  his  nobles  liked  to  find  their  tents  pitched 
and  the  tables  spread  when  the  day's  march  was  over,  and 
all,  officers  and  men  alike,  were  to  rest  for  the  night. 

Joshua  had  not  yet  ceased  speaking  when  a  number  of 
empty  tarts  and  asses  free  of  burdens  came  past;  they 
were  to  carry  the  tribute  of  bread  and  meal,  beasts  and 
birds,  wine  and  beer;  to  be  paid  by  each  village  through 
which  the  sovereign  should  pass.  This  had  been  levied 
by  the  collectors  the  day  before.  Soon  after  came  a  com- 
pany of  warriors  in  chariots.  Each  small,  two-wheeled 
chariot,  plated  with  bronze,  was  drawn  by  a  pair  of  horses, 
and  in  each  stood  a  man  and  a  charioteer.  Large  quivers 
were  attached  to  the  breastworks  of  the  chariots,  and  the 
soldiers  rested  on  their  spears,  or  on  their  large  bows. 
They  were  protected  against  the  missiles  of  the  foe  by  shirts 
covered  with  scale  armor,  or  thickly  padded  coats  of  mail 
under  gayly  colored  tunics  ;  and  by  a  helmet,  as  well  as 
by  the  breastwork  of  the  chariot.  These,  whom  Joshua 
designated  as  the  vanguard,  went  forward  at  an  easy  pace, 
and  were  followed  by  a  vast  multitude  of  wagons  and  carts, 
drawn  by  horses,  mules,  or  oxen ;  and  with  them  were 
whole  herds  of  asses  with  towering  loads  on  their  backs. 
Next  he  pointed  out  to  his  nephew  the  tall  spars  and  poles, 
and  heavy  rolls  of  rich  stuffs  which  were  to  be  used  in 
erecting  the  king's  tent,  and  which  were  a  burden  for 
several  beasts  ;  the  asses  and  the  carts  with  the  kitchen 
utensils,  and  the  camp  smithies.  With  these  came  the 
leeches,  wardrobe-keepers,  salve-makers,  cooks,  garland- 
winders,  attendants  and  slaves  attached  to  the  royal  camp, 
all  mounted  on  asses  driven  by  nimble  runners.  All  these, 
having  so  lately  set  out,  were  still  fresh  and  in  high  spirits, 
and  those  who  noticed  the  prisoners  flung  many  a  sharp 
jest  at  them,  as  is  the  Egyptian  way,  though  several  applied 
a  balm  in  the  shape  of  an  alms ;  others,  who  said  nothing, 
sent  a  slave  with  a  few  fruits  or  some  small  gift,  for  he 
who  was  free  to-day  might,  on  the  morrow,  be  sent  after 
these  poor  wretches.  The  driver  let  this  pass,  and  when 
a  slave  whom  Joshua  had  sold  some  time  since  for  his 
dishonesty  shouted  aloud  "  Rosea,"  and  pointed  to  him 


JOSHUA.  137 

with  a  malignant  gesture,  the  good-hearted  rough  fellow 
offered  the  insulted  Hebrew  a  drink  of  wine  out  of  his  own 
flask. 

Ephraim,  who  had  fared  from  Succoth  on  foot  with  a 
staff  in  his  hand,  and  a  small  wallet  containing  dried  lamb's 
flesh,  bread,  radishes,  and  dates,  expressed  his  amazement 
at  the  numberless  men  and  things  which  one  man  required 
for  his  comfort,  and  then  sank  into  melancholy  again  until 
his  uncle  roused  him  with  some  fresh  explanation. 

As  soon  as  the  camp  baggage  had  gone  by,  the  driver 
wanted  to  start  with  his  prisoners,  but  the  king's  pioneer 
— the  "opener  of  the  way" — riding  in  front  of  the  archers 
of  the  guard,  who  came  next,  forbade  it,  as  it  ill-beseemed 
criminals  to  mingle  with  the  soldiers  :  so  they  remained 
on  their  hillock  and  looked  at  the  rest  of  the  procession. 

After  the  archers  came  the  heavy  infantry,  carrying 
shields  of  strong  ox-hide  so  long  as  to  cover  the  brawny 
bearers  from  their  feet  almost  to  the  chin  ;  and  Joshua 
told  the  boy  that  at  night  they  were  placed  in  a  circle 
round  the  king's  camp,  and  so  inclosed  it,  as  it  were,  with 
a  fence.  Besides  their  shields  they  carried  a  javelin,  and 
wore  a  short  dagger-like  sword  or  war  sickle.  When  after 
some  thousands  of  these  heavily  armed  men  there  followed 
a  troop  of  sling  men,  Ephraim  spoke  for  the  first  time  of 
his  own  accord,  exclaiming  that  such  slings  as  the  shepherds 
had  taught  him  to  make  were  far  better  than  those  of  the 
soldiers  ;  and  then,  encouraged  by  his  uncle,  he  told  him, 
so  eagerly  that  the  men  lying  about  him  listened  to  his 
words,  how  he  himself  could  slay  not  mere  jackals,  wolves, 
and  panthers  with  a  stone  from  a  sling,  but  even  a  vulture 
on  the  wing.  And  meanwhile  he  asked  the  meaning  of 
the  standards  and  the  names  of  the  different  companies  of 
warriors. 

Several  divisions  had  already  gone  past  when  at  last 
another  crowd  of  chariots  came  in  sight,  and  the  driver 
cried  aloud  :  "  The  kind  god  !  The  lord  of  both  worlds  ! 
Long  life  to  him,  health  and  happiness  !"  As  he  spoke 
he  fell  on  his  knees  in  an  attitude  of  adoration,  and  the 
prisoners  lay  prostrate  on  their  faces  to  kiss  the  ground, 
holding  themselves  in  readiness  to  join  at  the  right 
moment,  at  their  gaoler's  signal,  in  the  cry,  "  All  hail  and 
happiness  !  " 

But   they  still  had    long  to  wait  before  the   expected 


138  JOSHUA. 

monarch  appeared.  After  the  chariot-men  came  the  body 
guard,  mercenaries  of  foreign  nations  wearing  a  peculiar 
kind  of  helmet  and  long  swords.  They  marched  on  foot, 
and  immediately  behind  them  a  vast  multitude  of  priests 
and  scribes  appeared,  with  a  number  of  images  of  the  gods. 
Then  again  a  company  of  guards,  and  at  last  Pharaoh  and 
his  court.  Foremost  of  them  all  was  Baie,  the  high  priest, 
in  a  gilt  war  chariot  drawn  by  splendid  brown  steeds.  He- 
had,  in  former  days,  led  troops  forth  to  battle,  and  had 
taken  the  lead  of  this  pursuing  army  at  the  bidding  of  the 
gods,  Avearing  his  priest's  robes,  indeed,  but  also  the  helmet 
and  battle-axe  of  a  captain  of  the  host.  At  last,  close 
behind  Baie's  chariot,  came  Pharaoh  himself;  but  he  did 
not  ride  forth  to  battle  in  a  war-chariot,  as  his  bolder  fore- 
fathers had  done,  but  preferred  to  be  borne  on  his  throne. 
A  magnificent  canopy  over  his  head  screened  him  from 
the  scorching  sun,  and  to  the  same  end  he  was  surrounded 
by  fan-bearers,  carrying  immense  bunches  of  ostrich 
feathers  fastened  at  the  end  of  long  fan  .ticks. 

When  Menephtah  had  fairly  left  the  city  and  the  gate  of 
victory  behind  him,  and  the  triumphant  shouts  of  the 
populace  had  ceased  to  keep  him  awake,  he  had  fallen 
asleep  ;  and  the  spreading  fans  would  have  screened  his 
face  and  person  from  the  eyes  of  the  prisoners  if  their  cries 
of  "  Hail  !  "  had  not  been  so  loud  as  to  rouse  him  and 
cause  him  to  turn  his  head  toward  them.  But  the  gracious 
wave  of  his  hand  showed  that  he  had  something  else  in 
his  mind  than  criminals,  and  before  the  voices  of  the 
hapless  convicts  had  died  away  his  eyes  were  closed  once 
more. 

Kphraim's  dull  brooding  had  given  way  to  eager  interest, 
and  when  the  king's  gilt  chariot  came  past  empty,  drawn 
by  the  most  splendid  horses  he  had  ever  beheld,  he  broke 
out  in  admiration.  These  noble  beasts,  their  clever  heads 
crowned  with  ostrich  plumes,  and  their  harness  glittering 
with  gold  and  precious  stones,  were  indeed  a  sight  to  see. 
The  large  gold  quivers,  studded  with  emeralds,  at  the  sides 
of  the  chariot,  were  full  of  arrows.  The  sleeping  man, 
whose  feeble  hand  held  the  reins  of  government  of  a  great 
nation,  the  languid  idler  who  shunned  every  sort  of  effort, 
recovered  his  energies  as  soon  as  he  was  in  the  hunting 
field,  and  he  looked  upon  this  expedition  as  a  hunt  on  a 
grand  scale  ;  and,  inasmuch  as  it  seemed   to  him  a  royal 


JOSHUA.  139 

sport  to  shoot  his  arrows  at  men  instead  of  a  brute  game 
— at  men,  too,  of  whom  he  had  but  lately  been  in  mortal 
dread — he  had  yielded  to  the  high  priest's  behest  and  come 
with  the  army.  The  expedition  had  been  sent  forth  by 
order  of  Anion,  so  he  could  now  have  no  further  cause  to 
fear  the  power  of  Mesu.  When  he  should  catch  him  he 
would  make  him  repent  of  having  struck  terror  to  the 
heart  of  Pharaoh  and  his  queen,  and  causing  him  to  shed 
so  many  tears ! 

While  Joshua  was  telling  the  youth  from  what  Phoenician 
city  the  gilt  chariot  had  been  brought,  he  suddenly  felt  his 
wrist  clutched  by  Ephraim,  and  heard  him  exclaim,  "  She 
— she — look,  it  is  she  !  '' 

The  lad  was  crimson  with  blushes,  nor  was  he  mistaken, 
for  there,  in  the  same  traveling  chariot  in  which  she  had 
come  to  visit  the  prisoners,  was  Kasana,  and  many  ladies 
besides  formed  part  of  the  court  accompanying  the  expedi- 
tion, which  the  captain  of  the  foot  soldiers,  a  brave  old  iron- 
eater  of  the  time  of  the  Great  Rameses,  called  a  mere  party 
of  pleasure.  When  the  monarch  went  forth  across  the 
desert  to  do  battle  in  further  Syria,  Libya,  and  Ethiopia, 
only  a  select  party  of  women  accompanied  him,  in  curtained 
vehicles,  under  the  conduct  of  eunuchs  ;  but  on  this 
occasion,  though  the  queen  had  remained  at  home,  Baie's 
wife  and  some  other  women  of  rank  had  set  the  example  of 
going  forth  with  the  troops,  and  it  had  been  a  tempting 
opportunity  to  many  to  enjoy  the  excitement  of  war  with- 
out running  into  danger. 

Scarcely  an  hour  since,  Kasana  had  surprised  her  old 
friend,  the  high  priest's  wife,  by  joining  the  rest,  for  only 
yesterday  nothing  could  persuade  the  young  widow  to  go 
forth  with  the  host.  Yielding  to  a  sudden  impulse,  with- 
out asking  her  father,  and  with  so  little  preparation  that 
she  had  not  the  most  necessary  gear,  she  had  overtaken 
the  army  ;  and  it  seemed  as  though  the  magnet  which  had 
drawn  her  was  a  man  whom  she  had  hitherto  avoided,  albeit 
he  was  no  less  a  personage  than  Siptah,  the  king's 
nephew. 

As  the  cortege  passed  the  sand-hill  the  prince  was 
standing  by  the  fair  young  woman  in  her  waiting-woman's 
place,  and  interpreting  to  her  with  many  a  jest  the  symbo- 
lism of  the  flowers  in  a  nosegay,  while  Kasana  declared  it 
could  not  have  been  intended  for  her,  as  not  more  than  an 


i4o  JOSHUA. 

hour  m'iii  e  she  had  had  no  idea  of  following  the  expedition. 
Siptah,  however,  assured  her  that  even  at  sunrise  the 
Hathors  had  revealed  to  him  the  happiness  that  was  in 

store  for  him,  and  that  the  interpretation  of  these  flowers 
proved  it.  A  party  of  youthful  courtiers,  who  had  quitted 
their  chariots  or  litters,  were  walking  by  the  side  of  her 
carriage  and  taking  part  in  the  laughter  and  merry  talk  ; 
the  high  priest's  wife  also  put  in  a  word  now  and  again,  for 
her  litter  was  borne  close  by  Kasana. 

All  this  had  not  escaped  Joshua  ;  and  as  he  saw  Kasana 
with  the  prince,  whom  she  had  hitherto  detested,  rapping 
his  hand  with  her  fan  with  gay  audacity,  his  brow  darkened, 
and  he  asked  himself  whether  the  young  widow  had  not 
been  cruelly  mocking  him  in  his  overthrow.  But  at  this 
moment  the  driver  of  the  prison-gang  caught  sight  of  the 
curl  on  Siptah's  temple,  which  he  wore  as  a  badge  of  the 
blood  royal,  and  his  loud  cry  of  "  Hail  !  Hail  !  "  in  which 
the  other  guards  and  the  prisoners  joined,  attracted  the 
attention  of  Kasana  and  her  companion.  They  turned  to 
look  at  the  tamarisk  thicket  whence  it  came,  and  then 
Joshua  could  see  that  the  young  woman  turned  pale  and, 
with  a  hasty  gesture,  pointed  to  the  group.  She  must  have 
given  Siptah  some  behest,  for  the  prince  at  first  shrugged 
his  shoulders,  but,  after  some  delay  and  argument,  half  in 
jest  and  half  in  earnest,  he  sprang  from  his  chariot  and 
beckoned  to  the  driver  of  the  gang. 

"  Did  these  people  gaze  on  the  countenance  of  the  kind 
god,  the  lord  of  both  worlds  ?  "  he  asked  in  a  voice  so 
loud  that  Kasana  must  have  heard  him  from  the  road  ;  and 
when  he  received  a  hesitati»g  answer  he  went  on  in  haughty 
tones  :  "  No  matter.  At  any  rate  they  have  seen  mine, 
and  that  of  the  fairest  women,  and  if.  by  reason  of  that, 
they  hope  for  mercy  they  are  justified.  You  know  who  I 
am.  Those  who  are  chained  together  arc  to  be  relieved  of 
their  ankle-fetters  ;  "  then  signing  to  the  head  gaoler  he 
whispered  in  his  ear :  "  but  you  must  keep  your  eyes  open 
all  the  wider.  That  fellow  close  to  the  bush  is  that  Joshua 
who  was  a  captain  in  Pharaoh's  army.  When  I  am  at 
home  again  come  and  tell  me  what  has  become  of  the  man. 
The  more  completely  you  can  quiet  him  the  deeper  shall  I 
dip  into  my  money-bag.      Do  you  understand?  " 

The  man  bowed  low  and  thought  to  himself:  "  1  will 
take  good  care,  my  prince,  and  see  that  no  one  takes  'he 


JOSHUA.  141 

life  of  any  of  my  moles.  The  greater  these  lords,  the 
stranger  and  more  bloody  arc  their  demands.  How  many 
an  one  has  come  to  me  with  a  similar  request.  Siptah  can 
release  the  feet  of  these  poor  wretches,  but  he  would  load 
my  soul  with  a  cowardly  murder  !  But  he*  has  come  to  the 
wrong  man  !  "  Here,  you  fellows,  bring  the  bag  of  tools 
this  way  and  strike  the  chains  off  these  men's  ankles." 

Pharaoh's  host  moved  on,  and  meanwhile  the  grinding 
of  files  was  heard  on  the  hillock,  the  prisoners  were  freed 
from  their  fetters,  and  then  for  security  their  arms  were 
tied. 

Kasana  had  desired  Prince  Siptah  to  have  the  poor 
creatures  who  were  being  led  away  to  misery  relieved  at 
any  rate  of  their  heavy  foot-chains ;  and  she  frankly  con- 
fessed that  it  was  intolerable  to  her  to  sec  an  officer  who 
had  so  often  been  a  guest  in  her  own  house  so  terribly 
humiliated.  The  high  priest's  wife  had  seconded  her 
wish,  and  the  prince  had  been  forced  to  yield.  Joshua 
knew  full  well  to  whom  he  and  Ephraim  owed  this  respite, 
and  received  it  with  thankful  gladness.  Walking  was 
made  easier  to  him,  but  anxiety  weighed  him  down  more 
heavily  than  ever. 

The  army  which  had  marched  past  would  suffice  to 
annihilate  a  foe  ten  times  as  great  as  the  Hebrew  force,  to 
the  very  last  man.  His  nation,  and  with  them  his  father 
and  Miriam,  seemed  doomed  to  a  cruel  death  ;  Miriam 
who  had  wounded  him  so  deeply,  but  to  whom  he  owed  it 
that  even  in  prison  he  had  discerned  the  path  which  he 
now  saw  was  the  only  right  one.  However  powerful  the 
God  might  be  whose  greatness  the  prophetess  had  so  fer- 
vently extolled,  to  whom,  indeed,  he  himself  had  learned 
to  look  up  with  fervent  adoration  ;  the  sweeping  onslaught 
of  this  vast  host  must  inevitably  and  utterly  destroy  a  troop 
of  unarmed  and  inexperienced  herdsmen.  This  certainty, 
which  each  fresh  division,  as  it  passed  by,  made  more  sure, 
sank  deep  in  his  soul.  Never  in  his  life  had  he  experienced 
such  anguish  \  and  that  pain  was  intensified  as  he  beheld 
his  own  men — all  well-known  faces  who  had  so  lately 
obeyed  his  word — under  the  orders  of  another.  And  it 
was  to  slaughter  his  own  kith  and  kin  that  they  were  now 
marching  to  the  field.  This  was  a  great  grief,  and  Ephraim's 
state  likewise  gave  him  cause  for  fresh  anxiety,  for  since 
Kasana's  appearance  and  her  intercession  for  him  and  his 


142  JOSHUA. 

companion  in  misfortune  he  had  relapsed  into  silence,  and 
gazed  with  wandering  eyes  either  at  the  rear  of  the  army  or 

into  vacancy.  Ephraim  was  now  freed  of  his  irons,  and 
Joshua  asked  the  lad  in  an  undertone  whether  he  did  not 
feel  a  longing  to  .return  to  his  people  and  to  help  them  to 
resist  so  mighty  an  armament,  but  Ephraim  only  replied  : 
"  In  the  face  of  such  a  foe  they  have  no  choice  ;  they  must 
surrender.  What  indeed  did  we  lack  before  our  depart- 
ing from  Zoan  ?  You  were  a  Hebrew,  as  they  were,  and 
yet  you  rose  to  be  a  mighty  captain  among  the  Egyptians 
until  you  obeyed  Miriam's  call.  I  should  have  acted 
differently  in  your  place." 

"  What  would  you  have  done  ?  "  asked  Joshua. 

"What?"  replied  the  boy,  and  the  fiery  young  soul 
blazed  up  in  him.  "What?  I  would  have  remained  where 
honor  and  fame  were  to  be  found,  and  everything  that  is 
good.  You  might  have  been  the  greatest  of  the  great,  the 
happiest  of  the  happy  !  I  know  it  for  certain,  and  you 
chose  otherwise." 

"  Because  duty  required  it,"  said  Joshua  gravely  ;  "  be- 
cause I  never  more  will  serve  any  one  but  the  people  of 
whose  blood  I  am." 

"  The  people  !  "  said  the  boy,  contemptuously.  "  I  know 
the  people,  and  you  too  have  seen  them  at  Succoth  !  The 
poor  are  abject  creatures  who  cringe  under  the  lash  ;  the 
rich  prize  their  beasts  above  everything  on  earth  ;  and 
those  who  belong  to  the  heads  of  tribes  are  always  quar- 
reling among  themselves.  Not  one  of  them  knows  what  is 
pleasing  to  the  eye  and  heart.  I  am  one  of  the  richest 
of  the  nation,  and  yet  I  shudder  to  remember  my  father's 
house  which  I  have  inherited,  though  it  is  one  of  the 
largest  and  best.  Those  who  have  seen  anything  finer 
cease  to  care  for  that."  At  this  the  veins  swelled  in 
Joshua's  brow,  and  he  wrathfully  reproved  the  lad  who 
could  deny  his  own  race,  and  fall  away  like  a  traitor  to  his 
own  tribe. 

but  the  driver  commanded  silence,  for  Joshua  had 
raised  his  admonishing  voice,  and  the  defiant  lad  was  well 
pleased  to  obey  ;  and  as  they  went  on  their  way,  whenever 
his  uncle  looked  reproachfully  in  his  face,  or  asked  him 
whether  he  had  thought  better  of  it,  he  sulkily  turned  his 
back  and  remained  gloomily  silent,  till  the  first  star  had 
risen,  and,  the  pioneers  having  encamped  on  the  waste foi 
the  night,  their  meagre  fare  was  dealt  out  to  them. 


JOSHUA.  143 

Joshua  dug  out  a  bed  in  the  san'd  with  his  hands,  and 
kindly  and  skillfully  helped  his  nephew  to  do  the  same. 
Ephraim  accepted  his  service  in  silence  ;  but  presently,  as 
they  lay  side  by  side,  and  Joshua  began  to  speak  to  the 
boy  of  the  God  of  his  fathers  in  whose  help  they  must  put 
their  trust  if  they  were  not  to  perish  of  despair  in  the 
mines,  Ephraim  interrupted  him,  saying  in  a  low  voice  but 
with  fierce  decisiveness  : 

"  They  shall  never  get  me  to  the  mines  alive.  Sooner 
will  I  perish  in  the  attempt  to  escape  than  die  in  such 
misery  ! " 

Joshua  whispered  a  word  of  warning  in  his  ear,  and 
reminded  him  of  his  duty  to  his  people.  But  Ephraim 
only  begged  to  be  left  to  rest  in  peace. 

Soon  after,  however,  he  lightly  touched  his  uncle,  and 
asked  in  a  low  voice  : 

"  What  have  they  to  do  with  Prince  Siptah  ?  " 

"  I  know  not  ;  nothing  good,  that  is  certain.  " 

"And  where  is  Aarsu,  the  Syrian,  the  commander  of  the 
Asiatic  mercenaries,  your  enemy  who  watches  us  with 
such  malignant  zeal?     I  did  not  see  him  with  the  rest." 

"  He  remains  in  Tanis  with  his  troops." 

"  To  guard  the  palace  ?  " 

"  Just  so." 

"  Then  he  is  captain  over  many,  and  Pharaoh  trusts 
him  ?  " 

"  Entirely,  though  he  hardly  deserves  it." 

"  And  he  is  a  Syrian,  and  so  also  of  our  blood  ?  " 

"At  least  he  is  nearer,  to  us  than  the  Egyptians,  as  you 
may  know  by  his  speech  and  features." 

"  I  should  have  taken  him  for  a  Hebrew  ;  and  yet,  you 
say  he  is  one  of  the  highest  men  in  the  army." 

"  And  other  Syrians  and  Libyans  are  captains  of  large 
troops  of  mercenaries,  and  Ben  Mazana,  the  herald,  one  of 
the  greatest  men  about  the  court,  whom  the  Egyptians 
have  named  '  Rameses  in  the  Sanctuary  of  Ra,'  is  the  son 
of  a  Hebrew  father." 

"  And  he  and  the  others  are  not  looked  down  upon  by 
reason  of  their  birth  ?  " 

"  It  would  scarcely  be  true  to  say  as  much  as  that. 
But  what  is  the  aim  of  all  your  questions?  " 

"  I  could  not  sleep." 

;:And  such   thoughts  as  these  came    into  your  head? 


144  JOSHUA. 

Nay,  you  have  something  definite  in  your  mind,  and,  if  I 
guess  it  rightly,  I  am  sorry.  You  wish  to  enter  Pharaoh's 
service." 

After  this  there  was  a  long  silence  between  the  two  ; 
then  Ephraim  spoke  again,  and,  although  he  addressed 
Joshua,  he  spoke  rather  as  if  to  himself: 

''  They  will  destroy  all  our  nation,  and  those  who  escape 
will  fall  into  slavery  and  disgrace.  By  this  time  my  house 
is  doomed  to  destruction,  not  a  head  of  my  great  herds 
will  be  left  to  me,  and  the  gold  and  silver  I  have  inherited, 
and  which  is  said  to  be  a  great  sum,  they  will  carry  away 
with  them  ;  for  it  is  in  your  father's  keeping,  and  must  fall 
a  booty  into  the  hands  of  the  Egyptians.  And  shall  I,  now 
that  I  am  free,  go  back  to  my  people,  and  make  bricks  ? 
Shall  I  bow  my  back  to  be  flogged  and   ill-treated?  " 

Here  Joshua  exclaimed  in  an  eager  whisper : 

"  Call  rather  on  the  God  of  our  fathers  to  protect  and 
deliver  His  people  ;  and  if  the  Most  High  has  determined 
on  the  destruction  of  our  nation  then  be  a  man,  and  learn 
to  hate  with  all  the  might  of  your  young  soul  those  who 
have  trodden  them  under  foot.  Flee  to  the  Syrians,  and 
offer  them  the  strength  of  your  young  arm  ;  give  yourself 
no  rest  till  you  have  taken  revenge  on  those  who  have 
shed  the  blood  of  the  Israelites,  and  cast  you,  innocent, 
into  bondage." 

Then,  again,  there  was  silence,  and  nothing  was  to  be 
heard  from  where  Ephraim  lay  but  moans  from  an 
oppressed  heart.  At  length,  however,  Joshua  heard  him 
murmur  : 

"  We  are  no  longer  weighed  down  by  chains,  and  could 
I  hate  her  who  promised  our  release  ?  " 

"  Be  grateful  to  Kasana,  but  hate  her  people,"  he  whis- 
pered in  reply.  And  he  heard  the  lad  turn  over  in  his 
trough,  and  again  he  sighed  and  groaned. 

It  was  past  midnight;  the  growing  moon  stood  high  in 
the  sky,  and  Joshua,  still  sleepless,  did  not  cease  to  listen 
to  his  young  companion  ;  but  Ephraim  spoke  not.  Still 
sleep  shunned  him  likewise,  for  Joshua  heard  him  grinding 
his  teeth — or  was  it  that  some  mice  had  wandered  out  to 
this  parched  spot  covered  with  dry  brown  grass,  between 
salt  plains  on  one  side  and  bare  sand  on  the  other,  and 
were  gnawing  the  prisoners'  hard  bread  ?  This  grinding  and 
gnawing  must  disturb  the  sleep  even   of  those  who  most 


JOSHUA.  145 

desire  it,  and  Joshua,  on  the  contrary,  wished  to  keep 
awake  that  he  might  open  the  eyes  of  his  blinded  nephew. 
But  he  waited  in  vain  for  any  sign  of  life  on  Ephraim's 
part. 

At  last  he  was  about  to  lay  his  hand  on  the  boy's  shoulder, 
but  he  paused  as  he  saw  in  the  moonlight  that  Ephraim 
was  holding  up  his  arm,  although,  before  he  lay  down, 
his  wrist  had  been  tied  more  tightly  than  before.  Joshua 
now  understood  that  the  noise  which  had  puzzled  him  was 
the  gnawing  of  the  lad's  sharp  teeth  as  he  worked  at  the 
knot  of  the  cords  ;  so  he  sat  up  and  looked  first  at  the  sky 
and  then  round  about  him.  He  held  his  breath  as  he 
watched  the  young  fellow,  and  his  heart  throbbed  painfully 
— Ephraim  meant  to  escape  !  He  had  even  achieved  the 
first  step  toward  freedom.  He  hoped  his  good  fortune 
might  follow  him,  but  dreaded  lest  the  fugitive  might 
set  forth  in  the  wrong  direction.  This  boy  was  the 
only  child  of  his  sister,  a  fatherless  and  motherless  orphan, 
so  he  had  never  had  the  advantage  of  those  numberless 
lessons  and  hints  which  only  a  mother  can  give,  and  which 
a  proud  young  spirit  will  take  from  none  else.  Strangers' 
hands  had  trained  the  young  tree,  and  it  had  grown 
straight  enough  ;  but  a  mother's  love  would  have  graced  it 
with  carefully  selected  grafts.  He  had  not  grown  up  on 
his  parents'  hearth,  and  that  alone  is  the  right  home  for 
the  young.  What  wonder,  then,  that  he  felt  a  stranger 
among  his  own  people  ? 

At  such  thoughts  as  these  great  pity  came  upon  Joshua, 
and  with  a  consciousness  of  being  deeply  guilty  in  regard 
to  this  gifted  youth,  who  had  fallen  into  captivity  for  his 
sake  when  bearing  a  message  to  him.  Still,  strongly  as  he 
felt  prompted  to  warn  him  yet  once  more  against  treachery 
and  faithlessness,  he  would  not  do  so  for  fear  of  imperiling 
his  enterprise.  The  least  sound  might  attract  the  attention 
of  the  men  on  watch,  and  he  was  now  so  much  interested 
in  his  attempt  for  liberty  as  though  Ephraim  were  making 
it  by  his  instigation.  So,  instead  of  tormenting  him  with 
useless  admonitions,  he  kept  his  eyes  and  ears  open  ;  his 
knowledge  of  life  had  taught  him  that  good  advice  is 
oftener  neglected  than  followed,  and  that  personal 
experience  is  the  only  irrefragable  master. 

Very  soon  his  practiced  eye  discerned  the  path  by  which 
Ephraim  might  escape  if  only  fortune  favored  him.     He 

10 


146  JOSHUA. 

gently  spoke  his  name,  and  then  his  nephew  softly  replied : 
"  Uncle,  I  can  untie  the  cord  if  you  put  out  your  hands; 
mine  are  free." 

At  this  Joshua's  anxious  face  grew  brighter.  This  bold- 
spirited  youth  was  a  good  fellow  at  heart  ;  lie  was  ready 
to  risk  his  own  success  for  the  sake  of  an  older  man  who, 
if  he  escaped  with  him,  might  only  too  probably  hinder 
him  in  the  path  which,  in  his  youthful  illusion,  he  hoped 
might  lead  him  to  fortune. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

Joshua  looked  cautiously  about  him.  The  sky  was  still 
clear,  though,  if  this  north  wind  held,  the  clouds,  which 
seemed  to  be  coming  up  from  the  sea,  would  soon  over- 
cast it. 

The  air  was  sultry,  but  the  men  on  watch  kept  their 
eyes  open  and  relieved  each  other  at  regular  intervals. 
Their  vigilance  would  be  hard  to  evade  ;  but  close  to  the 
trough  which  formed  Ephraim's  bed,  and  which  his  uncle, 
for  their  greater  comfort,  had  dug  by  the  side  of  his  own, 
on  the  gentle  slope  of  a  mound,  a  narrow  rift  widened 
to  a  ravine,  its  edge  gleaming  in  moonlight  with  veins  of 
white  gypsum  and  sparkling  ores.  If  the  supple  lad  could 
but  slip  unseen  into  this  hollow,  and  creep  along  it  as  far 
as  the  shores  of  yonder  salt  lake,  overgrown  with  tall 
mares-tail  and  a  thicket  of  desert  shrubs,  under  cover  of 
the  gathering  clouds  he  might  succeed  in  his  attempt. 

Having  come  to  this  conclusion,  Joshua  next  considered, 
as  calmly  as  though  he  were  deciding  on  a  route  for  his 
troops,  whether,  if  he  had  the  use  of  his  hands,  he  might 
be  able  to  follow  Ephraim  without  imperiling  the  boy's 
escape.  But  to  this  he  could  only  find  a  negative  \  for 
one  of  the  watch  was  close  at  hand,  sitting  or  standing  on 
a  higher  point  of  the  hillock,  and  in  the  bright  moonlight 
he  could  not  fail  to  see  every  movement  if  the  lad  untied 
his  bonds.  Moreover  the  clouds  might  perhaps  have 
covered  the  moon  before  this  was  accomplished,  and  thus 
Ephraim  might  let  the  one  favorable  moment  slip  which 
promised  him  release,  and  be  led  into  danger  on  his  ac- 
count.    He  was  the  boy's  natural  protector,  and  would  it 


JOSHUA.  147 

not  be  base  indeed  to  bar  his  way  to  freedom  for  the  sake 
of  a  doubtful  prospect  of  escape  for  himself. 

So  he  whispered  to  Ephraim  :  "I  cannot  go  with  you. 
Glide  alons;  the  rift  to  the  right  down  to  the  salt  lake.  I 
will  keep  an  eye  on  the  guards.  As  soon  as  the  clouds 
hide  the  moon  and  I  cough,  creep  away.  If  you  succeed, 
fly  to  your  people,  greet  my  old  father  for  me.  assure  him 
of  my  love  and  truth,  and  tell  him  whither  I  am  being 
taken.  Listen  to  his  and  Miriam's  counsel  ;  it  will  be 
good.  Now  the  clouds  are  gathering  about  the  moon — 
not  another  word." 

Ephraim  persisted  in  imploring  him  in  the  softest 
whisper  to  put  forth  his  hands,  but  he  bid  him  be  silent, 
and  as  soon  as  the  moon  was  shrouded,  and  the  watch,  who 
was  pacing  to  and  fro  just  at  their  head,  had  begun  a  con- 
versation with  the  man  who  came  to  relieve  him,  Joshua 
coughe.d  gently,  and  then  listened  in  the  darkness  with  a 
throbbing  heart  and  bated  breath. 

First,  he  heard  a  slight  rustle,  and  by  the  flare  of  the 
fire  on  the  top  of  the  slope,  which  the  drivers  now  mended 
to  keep  off  wild  beasts,  he  saw  that  Ephraimi's  bed  was 
deserted. 

At  this  he  breathed  more  easily,  for  the  ravine  must  by 
this  time  hide  the  boy,  and  when  he  listened  more  sharply 
than  before  to  catch  a  sound  of  creeping  or  slipping,  he 
could  hear  nothing  but  the  guards  talking  and  their  heavy 
footsteps. 

Their  voices  reached  his  ear,  but  not  the  words  they 
spoke,  so  eagerly  was  he  set  on  following  the  youth  in  his 
flight.  How  agile  and  how  cautious  the  fugitive  must  be 
in  his  movements  !  He  must  still  be  in  the  ravine.  The 
moon  seemed  to  be  struggling  with  the  clouds,  till  for  a 
moment  the  silver  disk  victoriously  rent  the  heavy,  black 
curtain  winch  hid  it  from  the  eyes  of  men,  and  the  long, 
bright  shaft  of  li<rht  was  mirrored  in  the  motionless  waters 
of  the  salt  lake ;  Joshua  could  see  everything  that  lay 
below  him,  but  he  detected  nothing  which  bore  any 
resemblance  to  a  human  figure. 

Had  the  lad  met  with  some  obstacle  in  the  dell?  Was 
he  checked  by  a  cliff  or  a  gulf  in  its  gloomy  depths  ?  Or 
— and  at  this  thought  his  heart  seemed  to  stand  still- 
had  the  abyss  swallowed  him  up  as  he  felt  his  way  in  the 
darkness  ?     Now  he  longed  to  hear  a    sound,    the    very 


i4  8  JOSHUA. 

faintest,  from  the  depths  of  the  rift.     This   stillness  was 
fearful. 

Ah  !  sooner  silence  than  this  !  A  clatter  of  falling 
stones  and  slipping  earth  came  up  too  loud  now  through 
the  still  night.  The  moon,  too,  again  peeped  out  from  its 
veil  of  clouds,  and  Joshua  saw,  down  by  the  pool,  a  living 
form  which  seemed  that  of  a  beast  rather  than  of  a  man, 
for  it  went  along  forefooted.  And  now  the  water  splashed 
up  in  glittering  drops.  The  creature,  whatever  it  was,  had 
plunged  into  the  lake.  And  again  the  clouds  hid  the  moon, 
and  all  was  dark.  Joshua  breathed  more  freely,  saying  to 
himself  that  it  was  Ephraim  whom  he  had  seen,  and  that 
the  fugitive,  come  what  might,  had  gained  a  good  start  on 
his  pursuers. 

But  the  men  were  not  sleeping  nor  deceived  ;  for,  al- 
though he  cried  out  in  order  to  mislead  them:  "  a  jackal  !  " 
a  shrill  whistle  rang  out  awaking  all  the  sleepers.  In  a 
moment  the  driver  of  the  gang  was  standing  over  him,  a 
burning  torch  in  his  hand,  and  he  heaved  a  sigh  of  relief 
when  he  saw  his  prisoner  safe.  It  was  not  for  nothing 
that  he  had  tied  him  with  double  cords,  for  he  would  have 
been  made  to  pay  for  it  dearly  if  this  man  had  escaped  him. 

But,  while  the  driver  was  feeling  the  rope  that  bound  the 
Hebrew's  wrists,  the  flare  of  the  torch  he  held  fell  on 
the  fugitive's  empty  resting  place.  The  cords  he  had 
bitten  through  lay  there  yet,  as  if  in  mockery.  The  driver 
picked  them  up,  cast  them  at  Joshua's  feet,  whistled 
loudly  again   and  again,  and  shouted  : 

"  Gone  !     Flown  !     The  Hebrew  !     The  young  one  !  " 

And  troubling  himself  no  further  about  the  elder  prisoner, 
he  at  once  began  the  search. 

Hoarse  with  rage,  he  gave  his  orders  rapidly  ;  all  were 
clear,  and  all  forthwith  obeyed.  While  some  of  his  men 
collected  the  gang,  counted  them  over,  and  bound  them 
together  with  cords,  the  leader,  with  the  rest,  and  helped 
by  dogs,  sought  some  trace  of  the  fugitive. 

Joshua  saw  him  bring  the  beasts  to  snuff  at  the  cords 
Ephraim  had  gnawed  through,  and  the  place  where  he  had 
lain,  and  then  they  started  direct  for  the  ravine.  He 
breathed  hard  as  he  perceived  that  they  lingered  there  some 
little  time,  and  at  last,  just  as  the  moon  again  came  through 
the  clouds,  emerged  on  the  shore  and  rushed  clown  to  the 
water's    edge.     He  was   glad    that    Ephraim   had   waded 


JOSHUA.  149 

through  it  instead  of  running  round  it,  for  the  dogs  here 
lost  the  scent,  and  many  minutes  slipped  by  while  the 
guards  and  the  dogs,  who  poked  their  noses  into  every 
footprint  left  by  the  runaway,  made  their  way  round 
the  shore  to  find  the  trace  again.  Then  their  loud  tongue 
told  him  that  they  had  recovered  the  scent.  But  even  if 
they  should  track  and  run  down  the  fugitive,  the  fettered 
warrior  need  not  now  fear  the  worst,  for  Ephraim  had  a 
long  start  of  his  pursuers  ;  still  his  heart  beat  fast,  and 
time  seemed  to  stand  still  till  the  driver  came  back  again 
exhausted  and  unsuccessful.  But  though  he,  a  man  of  mid- 
dle age,  could  never  have  overtaken  Ephraim,  the  two 
youngest  and  swiftest  of  his  men  had  been  sent  after  him. 
as  he  himself  announced  with  scornful  fury. 

The  man,  before  so  good-natured,  was  entirely  changed: 
for  he  felt  the  lad's  escape  as  a  disgrace  he  could  hardly 
get  over,  nay,  as  a  positive  misfortune. 

And  the  wretch  who  had  tried  to  mislead  him  by  crying 
out  "  a  jackal  "  was  the  fugitive's  accomplice  !  Loudly 
did  he  curse  Prince  Siptah  who  had  interfered  in  the  duties 
of  his  place.  But  it  should  not  happen  again,  and  he  would 
make  his  victims  surfer  for  his  misfortune  !  The  prisoners 
were  immediately  loaded  with  chains  again.  Joshua  was 
coupled  with  an  asthmatic  old  man,  and  the  whole  gang  were 
made  to  stand  in  a  row,  where  the  fire-light  fell  on  them, 
till  daybreak.  Joshua  could  make  no  reply  to  the  ques- 
tions put  to  him  by  his  new  companion  in  bonds  ;  he 
awaited  in  painful  suspense  the  return  of  the  pursuers. 
Meanwhile  he  strove  to  control  his  thoughts  to  prayer, 
beseeching  the  Lord,  who  had  promised  to  be  his  Helper, 
on  his  own  behalf  and  on  that  of  his  nephew.  Often 
enough,  to  be  sure,  he  was  interrupted  by  the  driver,  who 
vented  his  wrath  on  him. 

However,  the  man  who  had  in  his  day  commanded  a 
host  submitted  to  all,  and  commanded  himself  to  endure 
whatever  came  like  the  inevitable  discomfort  of  rain  or 
hail ;  nay,  it  cost  him  some  little  effort  to  conceal  his  glad- 
ness when  the  young  runners  who  had  been  after  Ephraim 
came  in  after  sunrise,  breathless  and  with  disordered  hair, 
bringing  with  them  nothing  but  a  dog  with  a  broken 
skull. 

The  driver  could  do  no  more,  therefore,  than  advise  the 
soldiers  in  the  first  fort  on  the  Etham  frontier,  which  the 


150  JOSHUA. 

prison-gang  must  now  cross,  of  what  had  happened  ;  and 
to  this  point  the  file  of  men  were  now  led. 

Since  Ephraim's  Gight  all  the  men  on  guard  had  changed 
their  tone  for  a  harder  one.  Yesterday  the  unhappy 
wretches  had  been  allowed  to  proceed  at  an  easy  pace ; 
now  they  were  hurried  on  as  fast  as  possible.  The  day 
was  sultry,  and  the  scorching  sun  struggled  with  the  storm- 
clouds,  which  were  gathering  in  the  north  into  dense 
masses.  Joshua's  frame,  inured  to  every  kind  of  fatigue, 
could  resist  the  severity  of  this  forced  march,  but  his  more 
feeble  companion,  who  had  grown  grey  as  a  scribe,  often 
stumbled,  and  at  length  lay  where  he  fell.  At  this  the 
driver  saw  the  necessity  of  placing  the  sufferer  on  an  ass, 
and  fettering  Joshua  to  another  companion.  This  was  the 
first  man's  brother,  an  overseer  of  the  king's  stables,  a  well- 
grown  Egyptian  who  was  going  to  the  mines  for  no  other 
excuse  than  that  it  was  his  misfortune  to  be  the  brother  of 
a  state  criminal.  Linked  to  this  sturdy  mate  walking  was 
much  easier,  and  Joshua  listened  to  him  with  sincere  sym- 
pathy, and  tried  to  cheer  him  when,  in  a  low  voice,  he 
confided  to  him  all  his  woes,  lamenting  sadly  that  he  had 
left  a  wife  and  child  at  home  in  want  and  misery.  Two  of 
his  children  had  died  of  the  pestilence,  and  it  weighed  on  his 
heart  that  he  had  been  prevented  from  caring  for  their 
burial,  for  thus  the  two  beings  he  had  loved  were  lost  to 
him  for  ever,  even  in  the  other  world. 

At  their  second  resting  place  the  bereaved  father  spoke 
more  freely.  His  soul  was  consumed  by  thirst  for  revenge, 
and  he  took  it  for  granted  that  his  companion  felt  the  same, 
seeing  that  he  had  fallen  into  disgrace  from  a  high  office. 
The  overseer  of  the  stables  had  a  sister-in-law  who  was  one 
of  the  ladies  about  Pharaoh's  court,  and  through  her  and 
her  sister,  his  wife,  he  had  been  informed  that  a  conspiracy 
against  the  king  was  being  hatched  in  the  women's  house.* 
Aye,  and  he  knew  too  who  it  was  that  the  women  purposed 
to  set  in  Menephtah's  place. 

As  Joshua  looked  at  him  with  an  inquiring  and  doubt- 
ful gaze  his  comrade  whispered  : 

"  Siptah,  the  king's  nephew,  and  his  noble  mother  are  at 
the  head  of  the  plot.  If  only  I  get  free  I  will  bear  you  in 
mind  ;  and  my  sister-in-law  is  sure  not  to  forget  me." 


*  The  liouse  of  the  secluded  ones;  equivalent  to  the  harem  of  the 
Modern  Moslem  Egyptians 


JOSHUA.  151 

He  then  desired  to  know  what  had  brought  the  Hebrew 
to  the  mines,  and  Joshua  frankly  told  him  who  he  was. 
When  the  Egyptian  heard  that  he  was  linked  together  with 
an  Hebrew,  he  tore  madly  at  his  chains  and  cursed  his  fate  ; 
however,  his  wrath  presently  died  out  before  the  amazing 
coolness  with  which  Joshua  endured  the  hardest  things, 
and  to  Joshua  himself  il  was  a  relief  that  his  partner  besieged 
his  ear  less  often  with  complaints  and  questions. 

For  whole  hours  he  would  walk  on  unmolested,  and  give 
himself  up  wholly  to  his  longing,  to  collecting  his  thoughts, 
to  giving  himself  a  clear  account  of  the  terrible  experiences 
which  his  soul  had  gone  through  in  the  last  few  days,  and 
to  making  up  his  mind  to  his  new  and  dreadful  situation. 

This  silent  meditation  and  introspection  did  him  good; 
and,  when  they  again  stopped  for  the  night,  he  enjoyed 
deep  and  refreshing  sleep. 

When  he  woke  the  stars  were  still  bright  in  the  western 
sky,  reminding  him  of  the  sycamore  at  Succoth.  and  the 
all-important  morning  when  his  beloved  had  won  him  over 
to  serve  her  God.  Above  him  spread  the  sparkling  firma- 
ment, and  for  the  first  time  he  was  conscious  of  a  budding 
hope  that  the  Almighty  Creator  of  heaven  and  earth  might 
find  some  way  and  means  of  saving  the  people  He  had 
called  His  own  from  the  overwhelming  host  of  the  Egyp- 
tians. 

When  he  had  thus  fervently  besought  the  Lord  to  spread 
His  protecting  hand  over  the  feeble  tribes  who,  in  obedience 
to  His  word,  had  left  so  much  behind  them,  and  had  so 
confidently  set  forth  for  the  remote  unknown,  he  com- 
mended his  old  father,  whom  he  himself  could  not  defend, 
to  His  especial  care,  and  his  soul  was  filled  with  wondrous 
peace. 

The  shouts  of  the  men  on  guard,  the  rattle  of  fetters,  his 
wretched  fellow-victims,  everything  about  him  kept  him  in 
mind  of  the  fate  before  him.  He  must  henceforth  toil  day 
and  night  in  abject  slavery,  in  a  sweltering,  choking  cavern, 
bereft  of  the  joy  of  breathing  the  fresh  air  of  heaven,  or 
of  seeing  the  sunshine  ;  loaded  with  chains,  flogged  and 
reviled,  starving  and  athirst,  in  a  gloomy  monotony  of 
misery,  agonizing  alike  to  body  and  soul  ;  and  yet  not  fc 
a  moment  did  he  lose  his  confident  trust  that  this  fearful 
fate  was  intended  for  any  other  rather  than  for  him,  and 
that  something  would  intervene  to  preserve  him  from  it. 


752  josiiua. 

On  their  further  march  eastward,  which  began  at  dawn, 
he  could  only  think  of  this  confidence  as  folly,  while  l>e 
strove  to  cling  fast  to  it.  and  he  succeeded. 

Their  way  lay  across  the  desert,  and  after  a  few  hour.' 
brisk  march  they  reached  the  first  fort,  called  "  Soli's 
Stronghold."  In  the  clear  air  of  the  desert  they  hud  seen 
it  for  a  long  time,  looking  as  though  they  could  shoot  an 
arrow  into  it.  It  stood  up  from  the  bare,  stony  soil, 
ungraced  by  a  palm  or  a  shrub,  with  its  wooden  stockade, 
its  ramparts,  its  scarped  wall,  its  watch-tower  looking 
westward,  with  a  broad,  flat  roof  swarming  with  men  at 
arms.  The  garrison  had  been  warned  from  Pithom  that 
the  Hebrews  were  preparing  to  break  through  the  frontier 
lines  on  the  isthmus,  and  the  gang  of  prisoners  with  their 
guards  had  been  taken  from  a  distance  for  the  van  of  the 
emigrant  Israelites. 

From  the  top  of  the  huge  bastions,  which  projected  like 
balconies  from  all  sides  of  the  scarped  walls  to  prevent  the 
use  of  scaling  ladders,  soldiers  were  spying  out  between 
the  battlements  at  the  approaching  party ;  but  the  archers 
had  replaced  their  arrows  in  the  quivers,  for  it  had  at  once 
been  perceived  that  the  troop  was  a  small  one,  and  a  run- 
ner had  delivered  the  pass  from  the  military  authorities, 
desiring  the  captain  of  the  garrison  to  permit  the  file  of 
prisoners  to  cross  the  frontier.  The  door  in  the  palisade 
was  thrown  upon  to  them,  and  the  driver  gave  them  leave 
to  stretch  their  limbs  awhile  on  the  hot  pavement  within. 
From  hence  none  could  escape,  even  if  the  guard  left  them 
to  themselves;  for  the  fence  was  too  high  to  climb,  and 
arrows  shot  from  the  roof  of  the  building  or  from  the  loop- 
holes of  the  projecting  battlements  would  overtake  the  run- 
away. 

It  did  not  escape  the  warrior's  eye  that  everything  here 
was  in  a  state  of  preparation  for  resistance,  as  though  it 
were  war-time.  Every  man  was  at  his  post,  and  guards 
stood  by  the  great  metal  gongs  on  the  roof  with  heavy 
mallets  in  their  hands  to  beat  an  alarm  at  the  approach  of 
the  expected  foe  ;  for,  though  there  was  not  a  tree  or  a 
house  to  be  seen  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  the  sound 
would  ring  out  to  the  next  fort  on  the  frontier  line,  and 
warn  the  garrison,  or  bring  them  to  the  rescue.  It  was 
not  indeed  a  punishment,  but  a  piece  of  ill-fortune  to  be 
quartered  in  these  isolated  desert  stations,  and  the  chiefs 


josiiua.  153 

of  Pharaoh's  army  took  care  that    the    same  companies 
did  not  remain  too  lone  at  a  lime  in  this  wilderness. 

Joshua  himself  had  in  former  years  commanded  the  most 
southerly  of  these  strongholds,  known  as  Migdol  of  the 
South ;  for  the  name  of  Migdol  was  common  to  them  all, 
meaning  in  the  Semitic  tongue  a  fortress-tower. 

Here  his  people  were  evidently  still  expected;  nor  could 
he  for  a  moment  think  that  Moses  would  have  led  them  back 
into  Egypt.  Either  they  had  lingered  in  Succoth,  or  they 
had  marched  southwards  ;  but  to  the  south  lay  the  bitter 
lakes  and  the  Red  Sea,  and  how  should  the  Hebrew  mul- 
titude cross  those  deep  waters  ?  Joshua's  heart  beat 
anxiously  as  he  reflected  on  this,  and  his  fears  were  pre- 
sently confirmed,  for  he  heard  the  captain  of  the  fortress 
telling  the  driver  of  the  gang  that  the  Hebrews  had  come 
some  days  since  very  near  the  frontier-line  of  defence,  and 
then  had  turned  off  to  the  southward.  Since  then,  it  would 
seem  that  they  had  been  wandering  in  the  desert  between 
Pithom  and  the  Red  Sea.  All  this  had  forthwith  been 
reported  at  Tanis,  but  the  king  had  been  obliged  to  post 
pone  the  departure  of  the  army  till  after  the  seven  first 
days  of  deep  mourning  for  the  heir  to  the  throne.  This 
delay  might  have  given  the  Israelites  an  immense  advan- 
tage ;  but  a  message  had  to-day  come  by  a  pigeon,  announ- 
cing that  the  foolish multitudewere  encamped  at  Pihahiroth, 
not  far  from  die  Red  Sea,  so  that  it  would  be  an  easy  task 
for  the  army  to  drive  them  into  the  waters  like  a  herd  of 
cattle,  for  there  was  no  escape  in  any  other  direction. 

The  driver  had  listened  to  this  report  with  much  satis- 
faction, and  he  whispered  a  few  words  to  the  captain, 
pointing  at  Joshua,  who,  for  his  part,  had  already  recog- 
nized the  officer  as  a  companion  in  arms  who  had  served 
under  him  as  a  centurian,  and  to  whom  he  had  shown  much 
kindness.  It  was  painful  to  him  to  reveal  himself  in  this 
miserable  plight  to  one  who  had  been  his  subaltern,  an4 
who  owed  him  a  debt  of  obligation  ;  and  as  he  looked  at 
him,  the  captain  colored,  shrugged  his  shoulders  expres- 
sively, as  if  to  convey  to  Joshua  his  pity  for  his  ill-fortune 
and  the  impossibility  of  doing  anything  to  mend  it.  Then 
he  said  in  a  voice  so  loud  that  the  Hebrew  must  hear  him  : 
"  I  am  forbidden  by  the  rules  to  speak  with  your  prisoners, 
but  I  knew  that  man  in  better  days,  and  I  will  send  you 
out  some  wine,  which  you  will  share  with  him,  I  beg." 


154  -  JOSHUA. 

When  they  presently  went  towards  the  gateway,  the 
driver  remarking  that  Joshua  was  less  deserving  of  such 
favor  than  other  and  weaker  mcu,  inasmuch  as  he  had 
assisted  the  runaway  of  whom  he  had  spoken  to  make  his 
escape,  the  captain  pushed  his  fingers  through  his  hair  and 
replied  :  "  I  could  have  wished  to  show  him  some  kind- 
ness, though,  indeed,  he  owes  me  much  already.  But  if 
that  is  the  case  I  had  better  keep  my  wine.  And  you  have 
rested  quite  long  enough  here  ! " 

The  driver  wrathfully  roused  his  hapless  gang  to  pro- 
ceed on  their  way  across  the  desert  and  onward  to  the 
mines. 

Joshua  now  walked  with  a  bowed  head.  His  spirits 
rebelled  against  the  ill-fortune  which  had  led  him  to  this 
pass,  driven  across  the  desert,  far  from  his  people  and  his 
father,  who  must  be  in  great  danger  at  this  decisive  and 
fateful  crisis.  Under  his  guidance  the  Hebrews  might 
perhaps  have  found  a  way  of  escape  !  He  clenched  his 
fists  with  rage  to  think  that  his  will  as  well  as  his  body 
was  in  chains  ;  and  yet  he  would  not  lose  heart ;  and  each 
time  that  his  reason  told  him  that  his  people  were  lost,  that 
they  must  perish  in  this  contest,  his  own  name — the  new 
name  bestowed  on  him  by  God — sounded  in  his  ears,  and 
his  hatred  and  scorn  for  everything  Egyptian,  fanned  into 
life  by  the  young  officer's  base  conduct,  flamed  up  afresh. 

His  whole  nature  was  in  violent  revolt,  and  as  the 
driver  marked  his  burning  cheeks  and  the  lurid  light  in  his 
eye,  he  thought  that  even  this  strong  fellow  had  become  a 
prey  to  the  fever  to  which  so  many  prisoners  fell  victims 
on  their  way. 

When,  at  sundown,  the  melancholy  train  encamped  for 
the  night  in  the  heart  of  the  desert,  Joshua's  spirit  still 
seethed  and  surged  within  him,  and  the  scene  around  him 
matched  well  with  the  tumult  in  his  soul.  Again  the  black 
clouds  came  up  from  the  sea  on  the  north  wind,  which 
howled,  and  shrieked,  and  whirled  clouds  of  burning  sand 
over  the  prisoners  as  they  lay,  till  the  lightning  and  thun- 
der broke  over  them  with  a  deluge  of  rain.  A  thick  layer 
of  sand  for  their  coverlet,  pools  and  rivulets  were  now  their 
bed.  Their  keepers  had  bound  them  together  by  the  arms 
and  legs,  and  as  they  stood,  shivering  and  dripping,  they 
still  held  the  ends  of  the  ropes ;  for  the  night  was  as  black 
as  the  fuel  of  the  fires  the  storm  had  extinguished,  and 


JOSHUA.  155 

who  could  have  followed  a  runaway  through  such  darkness 
and  such  weather? 

But  Joshua  had  no  thoughts  of  flight.  While  the 
Egyptians  whimpered  and  quaked,  believing  that  they 
heard  the  angry  voice  of  Set  in  the  thunder,  and  while 
blinding  sheets  of  flame  flared  among  the  clouds,  he  felt 
the  near  presence  of  that  jealous  God,  whose  rage  he 
shared,  whose  hatred  was  as  his  own.  Here  he  stood,  the 
witness  of  His  All-destroying  power,  and  his  breast  swelled 
with  pride  as  he  said  to  himself  that  he  had  been  called  to 
wield  the  sword  of  the  Lord  of  Lords. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

The  storm  which  had  risen  at  nightfall  was  still  sweeping 
over  the  peninsula.  High  waves  beat  in  the  central  lakes, 
and  the  Red  Sea,  which  formed  two  creeks  from  the  south, 
like  the  horns  of  a  snail,  was  tossing  wildly.  Further 
north  likewise,  where  Pharaoh's  army  had  just  encamped 
under  shelter  of  the  Southern  Migdol,  the  strongest  of  the 
Etham  frontier  fortresses,  the  air  was  filled  with  sand  by 
the  storm  ;  and  in  the  quarters  of  the  king  and  his  nobles 
hammers  were  kept  constantly  at  work,  driving  the  tent 
pegs  deeper  into  the  ground  ;  for  the  brocades,  cloth  and 
linen,  of  which  Pharaoh's  wandering  residence  and  its  sur- 
roundings were  formed,  were  so  beaten  by  the  wind  that 
they  threatened  to  pull  up  the  poles  which  supported  them. 

Black  clouds  hung  in  the  north,  yet  the  moon  and  stars 
were  often  visible,  and  distant  lightning  frequently  illumin- 
ated the  darkness.  But  dews  of  heaven  still  seemed  to 
shun  this  rainless  tract  of  land,  and  fires  burnt  in  every 
direction  round  which  thick  circles  of  soldiers  were  gathered, 
and,  like  a  living  screen  from  the  storm,  crowded  together 
for  protection.  The  men  on  watch  had  trying  work,  for, 
in  spite  of  the  north  wind,  the  air  was  stifling,  and  con- 
tinually blew  gusts  of  sand  full  in  their  faces. 

At  the  most  northern  gate  of  the  camp  only  two 
sentries  walked  to  and  fro,  keeping  a  sharp  lookout,  but 
they  were  sufficient ;  for  in  consequence  of  the  bad  weather 
it  was  a  long  time  since  anyone  had  appeared  to  demand 
either  admission  or  exit.     At  last,  three  hours  after  sunset 


156  JOSHUA. 

a  slender  lad,  half  boy,  half  youth,  appeared.  He  went, 
with  steady  step,  up  to  the  watch,  and,  showing  him  a 
messenger's  token,  asked  the  way  to  Prince  Siptah's  tent. 
He  looked  as  if  he  had  had  a  difficult  journey;  his  thick 
black  hair  was  disheveled,  and  his  feet  covered  with  dust 
and  caked  in  mud.  Yet  he  roused  no  suspicions,  for  his 
manner  was  independent  and  free,  his  messenger's  pass 
in  perfect  order,  and  the  letter  which  he  bore  clearly 
directed  to  the  prince  ;  a  scribe  of  the  granary  who  was 
sitting  at  the  next  fire,  with  other  officers  and  vice-com- 
mandants, confirmed  the  fact. 

Since  the  youth's  appearance  pleased  most  of  them,  and 
as  he  came  from  Tanis  and  perhaps  brought  news,  he  was 
invited  to  take  a  place  at  the  fire  and  to  share  their  meal; 
but  he  was  in  haste. 

Thanking  them,  he  refused,  answered  their  questions 
shortly  and  quickly,  and  asked  one  of  the  company  to  be 
his  guide.  Immediately  one  of  them  put  himself  at  his 
disposal.  But  he  was  soon  to  learn  that  it  was  not  easy 
to  achieve  seeing  a  member  of  the  royal  household  ;  for 
the  tents  of  Pharaoh,  his  relations  and  dignitaries  stood 
apart  in  the  very  heart  of  the  camp,  enclosed  by  the  shields 
of  the  heavily  armed  foot-soldiers,  and  when  he  tried  to 
pass  in  he  was  referred  from  one  to  another,  and  his  mes- 
senger's token  and  the  prince's  letter  were  repeatedly 
examined.  His  guide  was  also  dismissed,  and  in  his  place 
an  official  of  high  rank,  known  as  "  the  eye  and  the  ear  of 
the  king,"  came  forward,  and  .began  to  meddle  with  the 
seal  of  the  letter,  but  the  bearer  very  decidedly  demanded 
the  missive  back ;  and  directly  he  had  it  in  his  hand  once 
more  he  went  towards  two  tents,  standing  side  by  side  and 
shaken  by  the  wind,  which  were  pointed  out  to  him  as 
those  of  Prince  Siptah  and  Kasana,  Hornecht's  daughter, 
for  whom  he  also  inquired.  A  chamberlain  came  out  the 
prince's  tent,  to  whom  he  showed  the  letter  he  bore, 
requesting  him  to  conduct  him  to  his  lord  ;  but  the  official 
having  desired  him  to  hand  the  letter  to  him  instead  of  to 
the  prince,  Ephraim,  for  he  it  was,  consented  to  do  so  on 
condition  of  the  chamberlain's  forthwith  procuring  him 
admission  to  Kasana's  presence. 

The  steward  seemed  most  anxious  to  get  the  letter  into 
his  own  hands.  After  he  had  examined  Ephraim  from  top 
to  toe,  he  asked  him  whether  Kasana  knew  him,  and  wheD 


JOSHUA.  157 

the  other  answered  in  the  affirmative,  and  added  that  he 
brought  a  verbal  message  for  her,  the  Egyptian  smiling 
said,  "  Good,  then  ;  but  we  must  protect  our  carpets  from 
such  feet,  and  you  seem  to  me  altogether  exhausted  and 
in  need  of  refreshment.     Follow  me  ! " 

Thereupon  he  led  him  into  a  little  tent,  before  which  an 
old  slave  and  another,  who  was  still  almost  a  child,  sat  by 
the  fire  concluding  their  late  meal  with  a  bunch  of  garlic. 

On  seeing  their  master  they  sprang  up  ;  he  ordered  the 
old  man  to  wash  the  messenger's  feet,  and  the  young  one 
to  fetch,  in  his  name,  meat,  bread  and  wine  from  the 
prince's  tent.  He  then  took  Ephraim  into  his  own  tent, 
which  was  lighted  by  a  lantern,,  and  asked  him  how  it  was 
that  he,  who  had  looked  so  little  like  a  serf  or  a  common 
fellow,  had  such  a  forlorn  appearance.  Then  the  messenger 
answered  that  he  had  on  his  way  bound  up  the  wounds  of 
a  severely  injured  man  with  his  upper  garment,  so  the 
steward  at  once  reached  towards  his  packages  and  handed 
him  a  wrapper  of  fine  linen. 

Ephraim's  reply,  which  was  very  near  the  truth,  was 
given  with  such  promptness,  and  sounded  so  genuine,  that 
it  was  believed ;  and  the  steward's  kindness  so  over- 
whelmed him  with  gratitude  that  he  made  no  objection, 
when,  with  a  practiced  hand,  and  without  damaging  the 
seal,  he  pressed  the  flexible  roll  of  papyrus,  bent  the 
separate  layers  apart,  and,  peeping  in  the  opening,  acquaint- 
ed himself  with  the  contents  of  the  letter.  At  the  same 
time  the  burly  courtier's  eyes  glistened  brightly,  and  it 
seemed  to  the  youth  that  the  man's  face,  which  at  first  had 
appeared  to  him  with  its  comfortable  fullness  and  rounded 
smoothness  the  mirror  of  great  good  nature,  had  become 
like  that  of  a  cat. 

As  soon  as  the  steward  had  finished  this  operation,  he 
begged  the  boy  to  rest  himself  thoroughly,  and  he  did  not 
return  until  Ephraim  had  bathed  and  stood  with  the  new 
linen  cloth  round  his  loins,  his  hair  anointed  and  scented, 
looking  in  the  mirror,  and  in  the  act  of  putting  a  broad 
gold  hoop  round  his  arm. 

He  had  hesitated  for  some  time,  as  he  knew  he  was 
about  to  face  great  dangers  ;  this  bracelet,  however,  was 
his  only  valuable  possession,  and  he  had  taken  great 
trouble  during  his  captivity  to  keep  it  hidden  in  his  loin-cloth. 
It  might  yet  render  him  good  service,  but  if  he  wore  it  it 


15*  JOSHUA. 

would  attract  attention  to  his  person  and  increase  his  risk 
of  being  recognized.  But  the  image  he  saw  reflected 
in  the  mirror,  his  vanity,  and  the  wish  to  find  favor  in 
Kasana's  eyes  triumphed  over  prudence,  and  the  costly 
ornament  was  soon  shining  on  his  arm.  The  chamberlain 
gazed  with  amazement  at  the  transformation  of  the  un- 
kempt messenger  in  a  proud  looking  youth,  and  the 
question  rose  to  his  lips  whether  he  were  some  kin  to  Kas- 
ana,  and  when  Ephraim  replied  in  the  negative,  he  asked  to 
what  family  he  belonged. 

At  this,  Ephraim  stood  for  some  time  with  downcast 
eyes,  and  besought  the  Egyptian  to  excuse  him  from  reply- 
ing till  he  should  have  spoken  to  Kasana.  The  other 
shook  his  head  doubtingly  as  he  looked  at  him,  but  he 
urged  him  no  further,  for  what  he  had  discovered  from  the 
letter  was  a  secret  which  might  cost  all  who  knew  it  their 
life,  and  the  handsome  young  bearer  must  surely  be  the 
son  of  some  great  man  implicated  in  the  plot  of  his  master, 
Prince  Siptah. 

The  stout,  well-fed  courtier  shivered  at  the  thought;  and 
it  was  with  a  sympathetic  qualm  that  he  looked  at  this 
blooming  flower  of  humanity,  so  young  to  be  mixed  up  in 
such  perilous  schemes.  His  lord  had  so  far  only  hinted  at 
the  secret  to  him,  so  he  could  still  cut  himself  adrift  from 
sharing  his  master's  destiny.  If  he  parted  from  him,  he 
might  look  forward  to  an  old  age  of  ease;  but  if  he  clung 
to  him,  and  if  the  prince's  plot  should  come  to  a  good  issue, 
to  what  heights  might  he  not  rise  !  How  terribly  impor- 
tant was  the  choice  which  he,  the  father  of  a  large  family, 
was  called  upon  to  make ;  the  sweat  stood  on  his  brow, 
and  he  was  quite  incapable  of  clear  reflection,  as  he  con- 
ducted Ephraim  to  Kasana's  tent  and  then  hastened  to  his 
master's. 

All  was  still  in  the  slight  erection  of  wooden  poles  and 
heavy,  bright-colored  stuffs  which  sheltered  the  fair  widow. 
It  was  with  a  beating  heart  that  Ephraim  approached  the 
entrance,  and  when  at  length  he  took  courage  and  pushed 
aside  the  curtain  which  was  pegged  to  the  ground,  the  wind 
filling  it  like  a  sail,  he  saw  a  dark  room  opening  on  either 
hand  into  another.  That  to  the  left  was  as  dark  as  the 
centre  one  ;  but  from  the  right,  lights  gleamed  through  the 
seams  in  the  canvas. 

The  tent  was  one  of  the  long  flat-roofed  shape,  in  three 


JOSHUA.  1 59 

compartments,  such  as  he  had  often  seen  ;  and  in  the 
room  whence  the  light  proceeded,  no  doubt,  was  she  to 
whom  he  came.  To  avoid  any  further  suspicions  he  must 
overcome  his  timidity,  and  lie  had  already  stooped  to  untie 
the  knot  by  which  the  curtain  was  held  to  the  peg  in  the 
ground,  when  that  of  the  lighted  compartment  was  raised, 
and  a  woman's  figure  came  into  the  dark  entrance-room. 

Was  it  she  ?      Should  he  venture  to  address  her  ?     Yes, 
he  must. 

He  clenched  his  hands  tightly,  and  with  a  deep  breath 
collected  his  courage,  as  though  he  were  about  to  rush 
upon  a  beast  of  prey  prowling  round  a  flock.  Then  he 
pushed  the  curtain  aside  and  was  met  with  a  cry  from  the 
woman  he  had  before  observed ;  and  he  soon  recovered 
his  courage,  for  it  was  not  Kasana  but  the  waiting  woman 
who  had  come  with  her  to  see  the  prisoners,  and  had 
accompanied  her  to  the  camp.  She  recognized  him,  too, 
and  stared  at  him  as  though  he  had  risen  from  the  dead. 
They  knew  each  other  well ;  for,  the  first  time  he  had 
been  carried  to  Hornecht's  house,  it  was  she  who  had 
prepared  his  bath  and  laid  balsam  on  his  wounds ;  and  on 
the  second  occasion  when  they  had  been  inmates  under 
the  same  roof,  she  and  her  mistress  had  nursed  him.  For 
many  an  hour  had  they  chatted  together,  and  he  knew 
that  she  was  fond  of  him,  for  as  he  lay  half  conscious,  half 
dazed  with  feverish  dreams,  she  would  soothe  him  with  a 
motherly  touch,  and,  as  he  grew  stronger,  was  never  weary 
of  questioning  him  about  his  people,  telling  him  that  she 
herself  was  a  Syrian,  of  kindred  blood  to  the  Hebrews. 
Indeed,  his  language  was  not  altogether  strange  to  her,  for 
it  was  as  a  woman  of  twenty  that  she  had  been  brought 
to  Egypt  with  other  prisoners  by  Rameses  the  Great. 
Ephraim,  she  would  say,  reminded  her  of  her  one  son 
when  he  was  younger.  From  this  woman  he  had  nothing 
to  fear  ;  he  seized  her  hand,  and  said  in  a  low  voice  that 
he  had  escaped  from  his  guards,  and  had  come  to  ask 
counsel  of  her  mistress  and  herself.  The  word  "  escaped  " 
was  enough  to  reassure  the  old  woman,  for  spirits,  as  she 
understood  the  word,  were  wont  to  put  others  to  flight,  but 
not  to  flee.  She  stroked  the  lad's  curls,  and,  before  he  had 
finished  speaking  she  had  left  him,  hurrying  off  into  the 
other  room  to  inform  her  mistress  that  he  stood  without. 
In  a  few  minutes   Ephraim  was  in  the  presence  of  the 


i  so  joshua. 

woman  who  had  become  the  guiding  star  and  warming 
sun  of  his  life.  With  flushing  checks  he  gazed  up  at  her 
lovely  features,  and  although  it  stabbed  him  to  the  heart 
that,  before  she  even  vouchsafed  him  a  greeting,  she 
inquired  whether  Joshua  were  with  him,  he  forgot  that 
foolish  pang  as  he  noted  with  what  kindness  she  looked  at 
him.  And  when  she  asked  the  strong  woman  whether  she 
did  not  think  him  looking  fresh  and  well,  and  grown  more 
manly,  he  felt  as  though  he  was  really  taller  and  bigger, 
and  his  heart  beat  higher  than  ever.  She  insisted  on 
knowing  all  that  had  happened  to  his  uncle,  down  to  the 
smallest  detail ;  then  after  he  had  done  her  bidding,  and 
at  last  indulged  his  desire  to  speak  of  his  own  fortunes, 
she  interrupted  him  to  consult  with  the  older  weman  as  to 
how  he  might  be  sheltered  from  malignant  eyes  and  fresh 
dangers  ;  and  the  means  were  soon  found. 

First,  with  Ephraim's  help,  the  nurse  closed  the  first 
entrance  to  the  tent  as  completely  as  possible,  and  she 
then  showed  him  the  dark  room,  into  which  he  was  to 
vanish  as  quickly  and  noiselessly  as  possible  whenever 
she  should  give  him  a  sign. 

Kasana  meanwhile  had  poured  out  a  cup  of  wine  for  the 
returned  wanderer,  and  when  he   came    in  again  with  the 
old  woman,  she   bid  him  lie  down  on  the  giraffe  skin  at 
her  feet,  and  asked  him  herself  how  he  had  got  away  from 
the  watchmen,   and  what  he   looked  to  do  in  the  future. 
She  must  tell  him,  in  the  first  instance,  that  her  father  had 
remained  at  Tanis,    so   he  need     have    no  fear  of  being 
recognized    and     betrayed    by     Hornecht.       It  was  easy 
enough  to  see  and  hear  how  glad  she  was  at  this  meeting  ; 
nay,  when  Ephraim  told  her  that  it  was  in  consequence  of 
Prince  Siptah's  orders  that  the   prisoners  should  be  unfet- 
tered— which  they  owed  solely  to  her — that  he  had  been 
able  to  make  good  his   escape,  she  clapped  her  hands  like 
a  child.     But    then   her  brow   darkened,   and   she  added 
with  a  sigh,    that  Joshua  should  see   how  much  a  woman, 
however  weak,   could  sacrifice  to  attain   the  dearest  wish 
of  her  heart.     Ephraim's  assurance,  that  before  he  himself 
stole  away  he  had  offered    to  release  his  uncle,    met  with 
its  meed  of  kind  words  ;  and  when  she  learned  that  Joshua 
had  refused  his  nephew's   help  in  order  that  he  might  not 
imperil  the  success  of  the  plan  he  had  suggested  to  him, 
she  exclaimed  to  her  waiting  woman,  with  tears   in  her 


JOSHUA.  161 

eyes,  that  no  one  but  he  could  act  so  nobly ;  and  she 
listened  eagerly  to  the  rest  of  his  tale,  interrupting  him 
frequently  with  sympathetic  questions. 

So  blissful  a  close  to  the  fearful  days  and  nights  he  had 
just  passed  seemed  to  him  as  a  beautiful  dream,  a  bewil- 
dering romance  ;  and  he  did  not  need  the  encouragement 
of  the  cup  she  diligently  filled  for  him  to  make  him  tell  his 
story  with  eager  vivacity.  With  an  eloquence  altogether 
new  to  him  he  described  how,  in  the  ravine,  he  had  slipped 
on  a  loose  stone,  and  had  fallen  with  it  headlong  to  the 
bottom.  There  he  had  thought  that  all  was  lost,  for  soon 
after  he  had  shaken  himself  clear  of  the  rubbish  in  which 
he  was  buried  to  hurry  down  to  the  salt  lake,  he  had  heard 
the  driver's  whistle.  However,  from  his  childhood  he  had 
always  been  a  good  runner,  and  he  had  learned  in  his 
native  fields  how  to  read  his  bearings  by  the  stars,  so, 
without  looking  to  the  right  hand  or  the  left,  he  had  flown 
on  as  fast  as  his  feet  would  carry  him  to  the  south,  always 
to  the  south.  Many  times  had  he  fallen  in  the  dark  over 
stones  or  pits  in  the  desert  sand,  but  only  to  spring  up 
again  and  hurry  on,  rush  on,  to  where  he  knew  that  she, 
Kasana,  was— she  for  whose  sake  he  would  unhesitatingly 
cast  to  the  winds  all  that  wise  heads  could  advise — she 
for  whom  he  was  ready  to  give  life  and  liberty. 

How  he  found  courage  to  make  this  confession  he  knew 
not.  Nor  was  he  sobered  by  the  rap  she  gave  him  with 
her  fan,  or  by  the  old  woman's  exclamation,  "  A  boy  like 
that !  "  No  ;  his  beaming  eyes  only  sought  her  gaze,  as 
they  had  done  before,  while  he  went  on  with  his  story. 

He  had  hurled  the  dog  which  had  come  up  with  him 
against  a  rock ;  the  other  he  had  driven  off  by  plunging  a 
stone  at  him  till  he  retreated  whining  into  a  thicket.  He 
had  seen  nothing  of  any  other  pursuers  neither  that  night 
nor  all  the  next  day.  At  last  he  reached  a  high  road  and 
came  up  with  some  country-folk,  who  told  him  which  way 
the  king's  army  had  marched.  Then,  about  midday,  being 
overcome  by  fatigue,  he  had  gone  to  sleep  in  the  shade  of 
a  sycamore,  and  when  he  woke  the  sun  was  near  sinking. 
He  was  dreadfully  hungry,  so  he  had  pulled  a  few  turnips 
in  a  field  as  he  passed  by ;  but  the  owner  had  immediately 
come  forward  from  a  water  course  at  hand,  and  it  was  with 
difficulty  that  he  had  escaped  from  his  pursuit.  During 
part  of  the  next  night  he  had  kept  to  the  high  road,  and 

11 


1 62  JOSHUA. 

had  rested  at  last  by  a  well  on  the  way,  for  he  knew  that 
wild  beasts  shun  much  frequented  spots.  After  sunrise  he 
Bad  set  forth  again,  following  the  road  the  army  had  taken, 
and  had  come  upon  its  traces  everywhere.  Shortly  before 
noon,  when  he  was  quite  exhausted  and  sick  with  fasting, 
he  came  to  a  village  lying  close  to  the  fertile  tract  watered 
by  the  Seti  canal,  and  had  considered  whether  it  would  not 
be  well  to  sell  his  gold  bracelet  to  purchase  some  good 
nourishment,  and  keep  some  silver  and  copper  coin  for 
future  need  ;  but  he  had  feared  being  taken  for  a  thief  and 
cast  into  prison  again,  for  the  thorns  had  been  his  raiment, 
and  his  sandals  had  long  since  dropped  from  his  feet.  He 
had  thought  that  his  misery  must  move  even  the  hard- 
hearted to  pity,  so  he  had  knocked  at  a  door  and  begged, 
bitter  as  it  had  been  to  him.  However,  he  got  nothing  from 
the  peasant  but  a  scornful  admonition  that  such  a  strong 
young  fellow  as  he  might  work  for  his  living,  and  leave 
begging  to  the  weak  and  old.  A  second  had  threatened 
him  with  a  thrashing  ;  however,  when  he  had  gone  some 
way  further,  feeling  very  crestfallen,  a  young  woman,  who 
had  seen  him  at  the  niggard's  door,  came  after  him  and  put 
a  cake  of  bread  with  a  few  dates  into  his  hand,  hastily 
telling  him  that  the  village  had  been  heavily  taxed  in  the 
course  of  Pharaoh's  progress,  or  she  would  have  given  him 
something  better.  No  banquet  had  ever  before  tasted  so 
sweet  to  him  as  this  unlooked-for  gift,  which  he  eat  by  the 
next  well ;  but  he  did  not  confess  to  Kasana  that  it  had 
been  embittered  by  the  doubt  as  to  whether  he  should  obey 
Joshua's  counsel  and  return  to  his  own  people,  or  follow 
his  heart's  desire  which  drew  him  to  her.  He  had  started 
again,  still  undecided,  but  fate  seemed  to  have  taken  the 
matter  into  her  own  hands.  After  he  had  walked  on  about 
half  an  hour  longer,  on  reaching  the  edge  of  the  desert  he 
had  come  upon  a  youth  of  about  his  own  age,  sitting  by 
the  way  side  and  moaning  as  he  held  one  of  his  feet  in 
both  hands.  He  had  gone  up  to  him  at  his  call,  and  to 
his  surprise  had  recognized  him  as  Hornecht's  runner  and 
messenger,  with  whom  he  had  often  spoken. 

"  Apoo  1  our  nimble  Nubian  ?  "  interrupted  the  lady ;  and 
Ephraim  went  on  to  tell  her  that  this  messenger  had  been 
sent  to  carry  a  letter  to  Prince  Siptah  in  all  haste,  and  the 
swift-footed  lad,  who  was  wont  to  outrun  his  master's 
horses,  would  have  flown  like  an  arrow,  and  have  reached 


JOSHUA.  163 

his  destination  in  two  hours,  if  he  had  not  trodden  on  a 
fragment  of  broken  glass,  a  bottle  crushed  by  some  chariot 
wheel,  and  the  cut  was  dreadfully  deep. 

"And  you  helped  him?"  asked  Kasana. 

"Could  I  do  otherwise?  "  was  the  answer.  "He  had 
half-bled  to  death  already,  and  was  as  pale  as  a  sheet.  So 
I  carried  him  to  the  nearest  canal  and  washed  the  gaping 
wound,  and  applied  some  ointment  he  had  with  him." 

"  I  put  it  in  his  pocket  a  year  ago,  in  a  small  pot,"  said 
the  nurse,  who,  being  easily  moved,  was  wiping  her  eyes  ; 
and  Ephraim  confirmed  the  fact,  for  Apoo  had  mentioned 
it  with  gratitude.     Then  he  went  on  : 

"And  I  tore  my  tunic  into  strips,  and  bound  it  up  as 
best  I  might.  But  he  urged  me  all  the  while  to  make 
haste,  and  held  out  the  token  and  the  roll  which  his  master 
had  entrusted  to  him,  and,  knowing  nothing  of  the  mis- 
fortunes which  had  befallen  me,  he  charged  me  to  carry 
the  letter  to  the  prince  in  his  stead.  Oh  !  how  gladly  I 
undertook  to  do  so,  and  the  second  mile  was  not  ended 
when  I  reached  the  camp.  The  letter  is  in  the  prince's  hands 
and  here  am  I.  I  can  see  b)  your  face  that  you  are  well 
pleased.  As  for  me — so  happy  as  I  am  to  sit  here  at  your 
feet  and  gaze  up  at  you,  so  thankful  as  I  am  to  you  for 
having  listened  to  me  so  patiently,  surely  no  one  ever  was 
in  this  world  !  And  if  they  put  me  in  chains  I  will  bear  it 
quietly  if  only  you  remain  kind.  My  woes  have  been  so 
many  !  I  have  neither  father  nor  mother — no  one  to  love 
me.  Only  you.  I  love  none  but  you,  and  you  will  not 
repel  me,  will  you?  " 

He  spoke  the  last  words  like  one  in  a  frenzy.  Carried 
away  by  his  passion,  and  incapable,  after  the  terrible 
strain  of  the  last  days  and  hours,  of  governing  the  over- 
whelming storm  of  his  feelings,  the  lad  sobbed  aloud. 
He  was  scarcely  past  childhood  yet,  he  had  only  himself 
to  trust  to,  he  had  been  torn  and  severed  from  all  that  had 
ever  upheld  and  controlled  him,  and,  like  a  young  bird 
taking  refuge  under  its  mother's  wings,  he  hid  his  face  in 
Kasana's  lap,  weeping  violently. 

Deep  compassion  came  over  the  tender-hearted  young 
woman,  and  her  eyes,  too,  were  moist.  She  gently  laid  her 
hand  on  his  hair ;  and  as  she  felt  the  shudder  which  ran 
through  the  boy's  whole  frame,  she  raised  his  head  in  both 
hands,  kissed  his  forehead  and  cheeks,  and  smiling  through 
tears,  as  she  looked  into  his  face,  said : 


1 64  JOSHUA. 

"  You  poor,  foolish  boy  !  Why  should  I  not  be  kind,  or 
ever  repel  you  ?  Your  uncle  is  the  man  dearest  to  me  in 
the  world,  and  you  are  like  his  son.  To  serve  him  and 
you  I  have  already  consented  to  do  that  which  I  had 
always  utterly  loathed,  refused.  But  now,  come  what 
may,  and  whatever  others  may  think  or  say  of  me,  I  will 
not  care  if  only  I  can  succeed  in  doing  that  for  which  I 
will  give  my  life  and  all  I  hold  most  dear  !  Only  wait, 
poor,  vehement  boy,"  and  again  she  kissed  his  cheeks. 
"  I  shall  find  a  way  for  you,  too  !      Now,  enough  of  this." 

She  spoke  firmly,  and  the  words  were  enough  to  check 
the  excited  lad's  excited  mood.  But  suddenly  she  sprang 
up,  crying  in  terrified  haste  :  "  Fly,  fly,  begone  instantly  ! " 

A  man's  footstep  approaching  the  tent  and  a  warning 
word  from  the  waiting  woman  had  brought  the  brief  com- 
mand to  Kasana's  lips,  and  Ephraim's  keen  ear  told  him 
what  had  roused  her  fears,  and  drove  him  forthwith  into 
the  dark  chamber,  where  he  could  satisfy  himself  that  a 
moment's  hesitation  would  have  betrayed  him.  The  cur- 
tain of  the  tent  was  lifted  and  a  man  walked  straight 
through  the  anteroom  to  the  lighted  apartment  where 
Kasana — for  that,  too,  he  could  hear — greeted  some  new 
guest  only  too  warmly,  and  as  though  surprised  at  his 
coming  so  late. 

The  waiting  woman  snatched  up  her  own  mantle  to 
throw  over  the  lad's  bare  shoulders,  and  she  whispered  to 
him  :  "  Linger  near  the  tent  sometime  before  sunrise,  but 
do  not  come  in  till  I  call  you  if  you  love  your  life.  You 
have  neither  father  nor  mother,  and  my  child  Kasana— a 
loving  heart  is  hers,  a  heart  of  gold — she  is  the  best  of  all 
that  is  good ;  but  whether  she  is  fit  to  guide  a  foolish 
scapegrace  who  burns  for  her  like  dry  straw  is  quite  an- 
other matter.  As  I  listened  to  your  story  I  thought  of 
many  things,  and  as  I  mean  well  by  you  I  will  tell  you 
something  :  You  have  an  uncle  who  is  the  noblest  of  men. 
I  know  what  men  are,  and  so  far  my  Kasana  is  right.  Do 
his  bidding,  it  will  be  for  your  good.  Obey  him  !  And  if 
his  orders  take  you  far  from  here  and  from  Kasana,  so 
much  the  better  for  you.  We  walk  in  dangerous  places, 
and  if  it  were  not  for  Joshua's  sake  I  should  have  done 
everything  in  my  power  to  hold  her  back.  But  for  him — 
well,  I  am  an  old  woman,  but  for  that  man  even  I  would  go 
through  fire  and  water.     I  grieve  more  than  I  can  say  for 


JOSHUA.  1 65 

that  pure,  sweet  child,  and  for  you  who  are  so  like  what 
my  own  son  was  ;  but  I  say  once  more,  obey  your  uncle, 
boy,  or  you  will  come  to  an  evil  end,  and  that  would  be  a 
pity  indeed  !  " 

Then,  without  waiting  for  a  reply,  she  pushed  him 
towards  one  of  the  openings  in  the  canvas  wall  of  the  tent, 
and  waited  till  Ephraim  had  wriggled  out.  Then  she 
dried  her  eyes  and  went  back  into  the  lighted  room  as 
though  by  chance  ;  but  Kasana  and  her  belated  visitor 
had  matters  to  discuss  which  allowed  of  no  witness,  and 
her  "  dear  child  "  only  suffered  her  to  light  her  own  little 
lamp  at  the  three-armed  candelabrum,  and  then  sent  her 
to  bed. 

She  submitted  ;  but  in  the  darkened  room,  where  her 
bed  stood  not  far  from  her  mistress',  she  lay  down,  and 
then,  covering  her  face  with  her  hands,  wept  in  silence. 


CHAPTER  XXL 

Ephraim  crept  round  the  tent  he  had  quitted,  pressing 
one  ear  against  the  canvas  wall.  He  very  cautiously 
undid  a  few  stitches  in  one  of  the  seams,  and  so  could  see 
as  well  hear  what  was  going  on  in  the  lady's  sitting-room. 
The  storm  kept  every  one  within  shelter  who  was  not 
compelled  by  service  to  turn  out,  and  Ephraim  had  the 
less  reason  to  fear  discovery  because  the  spot  where  he 
crouched  was  in  deep  shade.  The  old  nurse's  cloak  was 
wrapped  about  him,  and  though  a  shudder  again  and  again 
ran  through  his  young  limbs,  it  was  bitter  grief  that 
caused  it  and  anguish  of  soul. 

He  saw  Kasana's  head  resting  on  the  breast  of  a  prince, 
a  great  and  powerful  lover,  and  the  capricious  false  one 
did  not  even  forbid  the  bold  suitor  when  his  lips  sought 
hers  for  the  kisses  he  desired.  She  owed  no  faith  to 
Ephraim  indeed,  but  her  heart  was  his  uncle's ;  she  pre- 
ferred him  above  all  men,  she  had  declared  herself  ready 
to  endure  the  worst  to  procure  his  freedom,  and  now  he 
saw  with  his  own  eyes  that  she  was  false  and  faithless,  and 
giving  to  another  that  which  by  right  was  Joshua's  alone. 
To  Ephraim  himself  she  had  shown  favor — the  mere 
crumbs  which  fell  from  Joshua's  table,  and  even  that,  as  he 


1 66  yosi/UA. 

confessed  with  a  blush,  was  a  robbery  from  his  uncle ; 
and  he  felt  himself  injured,  wounded  and  betrayed,  and  on 
fire  with  jealousy  in  behalf  of  his  uncle,  whom  he  hon- 
ored, nay,  and  loved,  though  he  had  contravened  his 
wishes. 

And  Joshua?  He,  like  Ephraim  himself,  and  like  that 
princely  personage,  like  every  one  in  short,  must  love  her 
in  spite  of  his  strange  demeanor  at  the  wayside  well ;  it 
could  not  possibly  be  otherwise ;  and  she,  safe  from  the 
vengeance  of  the  unhappy  prisoner,  was  abandoning  her- 
self with  cowardly  baseness  to  the  caresses  of  another  ! 

Siptah,  as  he  had  learnt  from  their  last  meeting,  was  his 
uncle's  foe  ;  and  for  him,  of  all  men,  she  was  betraying  the 
man  she  loved.  Through  the  slit  in  the  tent-cloth  he 
could  see  all  that  went  on  within,  but  he  closed  his  eyes 
to  avoid  seeing  many  things.  More  often,  indeed,  the 
odious  spectacle  riveted  his  gaze  with  a  mysterious  spell, 
and  then  he  longed  to  tear  the  tent  wider,  to  fell  the  loathed 
foe,  and  speak  words  of  stern  reproof  to  the  faithless 
woman  in  Joshua's  name.  The  fierce  passion  which  had 
possessed  him  was  suddenly  turned  to  hatred  and  scorn. 
From  the  happiest  of  human  beings,  as  he  had  deemed 
himself,  he  had  become  the  most  miserable  ;  such  a  fall 
from  the  highest  bliss  to  the  deepest  woe,  none  before  him, 
he  believed,  had  ever  known.  The  old  nurse  had  spoken 
truly,  there  could  be  nothing  in  store  for  him  at  Kasana's 
hands  but  misery  and  despair.  Once  he  had  started  to  fly, 
but  then  the  bewitching  sound  of  her  silvery  laugh  fell  on 
his  ear,  and  a  mysterious  power  held  him  rooted  to  the 
spot  to  listen  a  little  longer. 

At  first  the  rush  of  blood  tingled  so  fiercely  in  his  ears 
that  he  was  quite  incapable  of  following  the  dialogue 
within.  By  degrees,  however,  he  had  gathered  the  pur- 
port of  whole  sentences,  and  now  he  lost  not  a  word  that 
was  spoken.  It  was  indeed  of  the  greatest  interest,  though 
it  enabled  him  to  look  into  an  abyss  which  seemed  to 
yawn  at  his  feet. 

Kasana  by  no  means  yielded  to  her  audacious  wooer  on 
every  point,  but  this  only  drew  him  on  to  insist  passion- 
ately 011  her  entire  surrender,  body  and  soul  ;  and  what 
he  offered  in  return  was  indeed  the  highest  reward — a  place 
as  queen  at  his  side  on  the  throne  of  Egypt,  for  which  he 
was  plotting.     That  much  he   distinctly  uttered  ;  but  all 


JOSHUA.  167 

else  was  hard  to  follow ;  for  the  vehement  lover  was  in 
haste,  and  frequently  interrupted  his  incoherent  sentences 
to  assure  Kasana  of  his  unalterable  devotion,  or  to  mollify 
her  when  the  audacity  of  his  pretensions  roused  her  fears 
or  her  disgust.  Presently  he  spoke  of  the  letter  which 
Ephraim  had  brought,  and  after  he  had  read  it  aloud  and 
explained  it  to  her,  the  boy  perceived,  with  slight  shudder, 
that  he  himself  had  now  become  an  accomplice  in  the  most 
detestable  of  crimes.  For  a  moment  he  felt  prompted  to 
betray  the  traitors,  and  deliver  them  into  the  hands  of  the 
sovereign  whose  overthrow  they  were  plotting.  But  he 
cast  this  idea  from  him,  and  only  indulged  in  the  comfort- 
ing reflection — the  first  that  had  come  to  him  during  this 
dreadful  experience — that  he  held  Kasana  and  her  prince 
in  his  clutch  like  beetles  on  a  thread.  This  raised  his 
spirits  and  restored  his  lost  confidence  and  courage.  The 
baser  the  schemes  he  now  overheard,  the  greater  and  more 
surely  grew  his  recovered  sense  of  the  value  of  truth  and 
right.  He  remembered  likewise  an  admonition  of  his 
uncle's :  "  Give  no  man,  great  or  small,  cause  to  regard 
you  with  anything  but  respect,  and  then  you  may  hold 
your  head  as  high  as  the  proudest  hero  in  his  purple  tunic 
and  gilt  breastplate." 

As  he  lay  trembling  with  fever  on  his  bed  in  Kasana's 
house  he  had  repeated  the  words  many  times,  but  the 
miseries  of  captivity  had  banished  it  from  his  mind.  Not  till 
he  found  himself  in  the  chamberlain's  tent,  when  the  slave 
had  held  the  mirror  that  he  might  see  himself  bathed  and 
anointed,  had  it  recurred  as  a  passing  thought;  but  now 
it  wholly  possessed  his  soul.  And,  strangely  enough,  the 
royal  traitor  within  the  tent  wore,  in  fact,  a  purple  tunic 
and  gilt  armor,  and  looked  indeed  a  hero  ;  but  he  could 
not  hold  his  head  high,  for  the  deed  he  purposed  could  only 
succeed  in  twilight  secrecy  ;  it  was  like  the  work  of  the 
loathsome  mole  which  turns  up  the  earth  in  darkness.  The 
hateful  three,  falsehood,  treachery  and  perjury,  were  Sip- 
tah's  tools,  and  she  whom  he  had  chosen  to  be  his  accom- 
plice was  the  woman — at  the  bottom  of  his  soul  he  was 
ashamed  to  own  it — the  woman  for  whose  sake  he  had  been 
ready  to  sacrifice  all  he  held  sacred,  worthy  and  dear. 

These  hideous  things,  which  he  had  been  taught  to  flee 
from,  were  but  the  rungs  of  the  ladder  by  which  that 
wicked  man  hoped  to  mount  to  high  estate.  Ephraim  saw 
it ;  all  the  prince's  plot  lay  before  him  as  an  open  book. 


1 68  JOSHUA. 

The  roll  the  lad  had  brought  to  the  camp  had  contained 
three  letters.  One  was  from  the  conspirators  in  Tanis  ; 
the  others  from  Siptah's  mother.  She  wrote  that  she  looked 
for  his  speedy  return,  and  informed  him  that  Aarsu,  the 
Syrian,  the  captain  of  the  foreign  troops,  now  in  charge  of 
the  palace,  and  all  in  the  women's  house,  were  prepared 
to  hail  him  king.  When  the  high  priest  of  Araon,  who  was 
at  the  same  time  the  chief  judge,  high  steward  and  keeper 
of  the  seal,  should  proclaim  him,  he  would  be  king,  and 
could  mount  the  throne  unopposed,  for  the  palace  was  open 
to  him.  If  Pharaoh  should  return,  the  body-guards  were 
ready  to  take  him  prisoner  and  clear  him  out  of  the  way 
— as  Siptah,  who  did  not  love  half  measures,  had  secretly 
commanded,  while  Baie  had  voted  for  his  being  kept  in 
mild  captivity. 

The  only  thing  to  be  feared  was  the  premature  reap- 
pearance of  Seti,  Menephtah's  younger  son,  now  at 
Thebes  ;  for  now  that  his  elder  brother  was  dead,  he  had 
become  heir  to  the  throne,  and  pigeons  had  arrived  yester- 
day with  letters  announcing  that  he  was  on  his  way.  Thus 
Siptah  and  the  powerful  priest  who  was  to  proclaim  him 
must  make  the  best  speed  they  could. 

The  necessary  precautions  had  also  been  taken  to  pre- 
vent any  possible  resistance  on  the  part  of  the  army ;  as 
soon  as  the  Hebrews  were  destroyed,  the  larger  portion  of 
the  troops  were  to  be  withdrawn  forthwith  into  the  gar- 
risons they  had  left ;  the  body-guard  were  attached  to  Sip- 
tah, and  the  rest,  who  would  escort  the  royal  party  back  to 
the  capital,  could,  if  it  came  to  the  worst,  easily  be  over- 
powered by  Aarsu  and  his  mercenaries. 

"  Nothing  now  remains  for  me  to  do,"  cried  the  prince, 
stretching  himself  with  evident  enjoyment,  like  a  man  who 
had  successfully  achieved  a  difficult  undertaking,  "  but 
to  make  my  way  back  to  Tanis  with  Baie  a  few  hours 
hence,  to  let  myself  be  crowned  and  proclaimed  in  the 
temple  of  Araon,  and  finally  make  my  entry  into  the  palace 
of  the  Pharaohs.  The  rest  is  all  a  matter  of  course.  Seti, 
who  is  called  the  heir  to  the  crown,  is  as  weak  a  creature 
as  his  father,  and  will  bend  to  the  accomplished  fact,  to 
necessity  and  force.  The  captain  of  the  body-guard  will 
take  care  that  Menephtah  never  enters  the  palace  again." 

The  prince's  mother  had  written  a  second  letter  ad- 
dressed to  Pharaoh  himself,  to  justify  Siptah  and  the  high 


JOSHUA.  169 

priest  in  returning  to  the  capital  in  all  haste,  without 
exposing  themselves  to  the  imputation  of  cowardice  in 
leaving  the  army  immediately  before  a  battle.  Although 
she  had  never  in  her  life  been  in  better  health,  she  declared, 
with  hypocritical  prayers  and  lamentations,  that  her  hours 
were  numbered,  and  implored  the  king  to  release  her  son 
and  Baie  forthwith  from  their  duties,  that  she  might  be 
allowed  to  bless  her  only  child  before  she  died.  She  had 
many  sins  on  her  conscience,  and  none  but  the  high  priest 
had  it  in  his  power  to  intercede  for  her  for  the  mercy  of  the 
gods.  Without  his  mediation  she  must  depart  in  despair. 
This  letter,  too,  the  vile  traitor  had  read,  and  had  pro- 
nounced it  a  master-piece  of  woman's  cunning,  rubbing 
his  hands  with  glee  as  he  spoke. 

Treason,  murder,  dissimulation,  base  deceit,  a  mockery 
of  all  the  most  sacred  feelings,  everything  foul  and  mean, 
were  to  be  Siptah's  aids  to  mounting  the  throne,  and 
though  Kasana  had  wrung  her  hands  and  shed  some  tears 
when  he  told  her  that  Pharaoh  was  to  be  put  out  of  the 
way,  she  grew  calmer  as  the  prince  represented  to  her 
that  her  own  father  approved  of  what  he  had  decided  on 
to  save  Egypt  from  the  hand  of  the  king  who  was  bring- 
ing the  land  to  ruin. 

The  letter  from  the  prince's  mother  to  Pharaoh — the 
mother  who  was  spurring  on  her  own  son  to  ruthless 
crime — was  the  last  thing  Ephraim  stayed  to  hear ;  for  the 
young  Hebrew,  accustomed  to  regard  the  bond  between 
parents  and  children  as  reverend  and  pure  beyond  all 
others,  was  moved  by  it  to  such  a  sudden  frenzy  that  he 
raised  his  fist,  and  as  he  sprang  away  he  muttered  a  word 
of  scorn  and  abuse.  Thus  he  did  not  hear  how  Kasana 
made  the  prince  pledge  his  word  that,  if  he  rose  to  power, 
he  would  grant  her  her  first  request.  It  should  cost  him 
neither  money  norlands,  and  merely  afford  her  the  privilege 
of  showing  mercy  at  the  dictate  of  her  heart,  for  events 
were  impending  which  must  provoke  the  wrath  of  the  gods, 
and  she  only  implored  to  be  allowed  to  mitigate  it. 

Ephraim  could  not  bear  to  see  or  to  hear  any  more  of  this 
revolting  scene.  Now,  for  the  first  time,  he  began  to 
understand  what  danger  he  had  run  of  allowing  himself  to 
be  drawn  into  this  slough,  and  becoming  a  lost  and  repro- 
bate wretch  ;  but  surely,  he  thought,  he  could  never  have 
been  so  base,  so  abominable  as  these  two.     Once  more  he 


170  JOSHUA. 

remembered  his  uncle's  words,  and  he  threw  back  his 
haughty  head,  and  his  deep  chest  swelled  as  though  he 
would  assure  himself  of  his  own  unbroken  strength;  and 
he  said  to  himself,  as  he  drew  a  deep  breath,  that  he  was 
fit  for  better  things  than  being  wasted  on  a  bad  woman, 
even  if,  like  Kasana,  she  were  the  fairest  and  most  bewitch- 
ing creature  under  heaven.  Away,  away  !  far  from  the 
snare  which  might  have  led  him  to  murder  and  every  kind 
of  evil ! 

Fully  determined  to  return  to  his  own  people,  he  made 
his  way  to  the  entrance  to  the  camp  ;  but  he  had  gone  only 
a  few  steps  when  he  stopped,  and  a  glance  at  the  sky 
showed  him  it  was  not  more  than  two  hours  past  midnight. 
All  was  still.  Only  from  the  pen  where  the  king's  horses 
were  enclosed  he  heard  now  and  then  the  rattle  of  harness 
or  the  blow  of  a  hoof.  If  he  attempted  at  this  hour  to 
make  his  escape  he  must  certainly  be  detected  and 
detained ;  prudence  enjoined  him  to  curb  his  impatience 
for  a  little  while,  and  as  he  looked  about  him  his  eye  fell 
on  the  chamberlain's  tent,  from  which  the  old  slave  came 
out  to  look  for  his  master,  who  was  still  awaiting  Siptah's 
return  in  the  prince's  quarter.  This  old  man  had  been 
kind  before  to  Ephraim,  and  he  now  with  friendly  urgency 
bid  him  enter  the  tent  and  rest,  for  youth,  said  he,  requires 
sleep.  Ephraim  accepted  the  well-meant  invitation,  for  he 
now  began  to  feel  how  badly  his  feet  ached  ;  hardly  had 
he  stretched  himself  on  the  mat — the  old  slave  having 
spread  his  own  for  him — when  he  felt  as  if  his  limbs 
were  dropping  off;  however,  he  thought  he  should  here 
have  time  and  peace  for  reflection. 

He  began  by  thinking  of  the  future  and  his  uncle's  in- 
junctions. That  he  must  forthwith  rejoin  his  people  was 
quite  clear,  and  if  they  escaped  alive  from  Pharaoh's  host, 
Jet  the  rest  do  what  they  would,  his  first  duty  would  be 
collect  his  herdsmen,  his  servants  and  his  younger  friends, 
and  hasten  at  their  head  to  the  mines  to  strike  off  Joshua's 
chains,  and  conduct  him  home  to  his  old  father  and  his 
people  who  needed  him  so  sorely.  He  fancied  he  could 
see  himself  with  his  sling  at  his  girdle  and  a  battle-axe  in 
his  hand  marching  on  in  front  of  the  rest,  when  sleep  over- 
powered him,  and  wrapped  the  weary  youth  in  oblivion  so 
deep  and  sweet  that  not  even  a  dream  approached  his 
pillow,  and  the  old  slave  had  to  shake  him  in  order  to  rouse 
him  at  day-break. 


JOSHUA.  171 

The  camp  was  already  astir  :  tents  were  being  taken 
down,  asses  and  ox-carts  loaded,  horses  combed  and  shod, 
chariots  cleaned,  weapons  and  vessels  polished,  and  the 
first  meal  of  the  day  distributed  and  eaten.  Meanwhile 
trumpet-calls  rang  out  on  one  hand,  words  of  command  on 
the  other,  and  from  the  eastern  side  of  the  camp  rose  the 
chant  of  priests  devoutly  greeting  the  new-born  god  of 
day. 

Active  servants  now  brought  out  a  gilt  chariot  in  front 
of  the  splendid  purple  tent  next  to  Kasana's,  and  another 
not  less  splendid  followed.  Prince  Siptah  and  the  high 
priest  had  received  permission  from  Pharaoh  to  return  to 
Tanis,  at  the  desire  of  a  dying  woman.  Shortly  after 
Ephraim  took  leave  of  the  friendly  slave,  charging  him  to 
return  the  cloak  to  Kasana's  nurse,  and  to  tell  her  that 
the  messenger  had  followed  her  advice  and  his  uncle's. 
Then  he  set  forth  on  his  journey. 

He  got  out  of  the  precincts  of  the  Egyptian  tents  with- 
out let  or  hindrance,  and  when  he  found  himself  out  in  the 
desert  he  uttered  the  cry  by  which  he  was  wont  to  collect 
his  shepherds  in  the  pastures.  The  call  rang  out  across 
the  wide  plain,  startling  a  sparrow-hawk  which  was  spying 
the  distance  from  the  top  of  a  rock,  and  as  the  bird  soared 
up  the  lad  felt  as  though,  if  he  opened  out  his  arms, 
wings  must  sprout  strong  enough  to  bear  him  through  the 
air.  Never  had  he  felt  so  strong  and  agile,  so  light  and 
free  ;  and  if  the  priest  could  at  this  moment  have  asked 
whether  he  would  become  a  captain  over  thousands  in 
Pharaoh's  army,  he  would  certainly  have  answered,  as  he 
had  done  by  Nun's  ruined  dwelling,  that  he  asked  no  better 
lot  than  that  of  a  shepherd,  free  to  govern  his  herds  and 
servants.  He  was  an  orphan,  but'yet  he  had  his  people  to 
whom  he  belonged,  and  where  they  were  was  his  home. 
Like  a  traveler  who,  after  long  journeying,  finds  himself 
near  home,  he  now  hastened  his  steps. 

He  had  arrived  at  Tanis  in  the  night  of  the  new  moon, 
and  the  full  disk  which  he  now  saw  paling  in  the  dawn  was 
the  same  as  he  had  then  gazed  on  ;  but  he  felt  as  though 
years  had  elapsed  between  his  leave-taking  of  Miriam  and 
this  day,  for  indeed  a  whole  lifetime  of  new  experience  had 
been  crowded  into  these  few  days.  He  had  come  forth  as 
a  boy;  he  was  returning  a  man  to  his  own  folk,  and, 
thanks  to  the  erents  of  this  one  dreadful  night,  he  was  the 


I72  JOSHUA. 

same  as  he  had  ever  been,  and  could  look  boldly  in  the  face 
of  each  one  whom  he  loved  and  looked  up  to  with  rever- 
ence. 

Nay,  more.  He  would  show  the  man  whom  he  held  high 
above  all  others  that  he,  Ephraim,  might  carry  his  head 
erect.  He  would  repay  Joshua  for  what  he  had  done  for 
him,  by  being  content  to  remain  in  bonds  and  fetters  in 
order  that  his  nephew  might  flee  away  as  free  as  a  bird. 

He  had  walked  above  an  hour  when  he  came  to  a  ruined 
watch  tower.  He  climbed  up  it,  and  from  thence  he 
descried  at  no  great  distance,  on  the  hither  side  of  the 
hill  of  Baal-Zephon  which  he  had  long  seen  towering 
above  the  horizon,  the  gleaming  waters  of  the  northern 
arm  of  the  Red  Se^  The  storm  was  lulled,  still  he  could 
see  from  the  swaying  of  the  emerald  surface  that  the  sea 
was  not  yet  calm,  and  a  few  black  piles  of  cloud  on  the 
sky,  which  just  now  had  been  so  clear,  seemed  to  threaten 
a  gathering  storm  again.  He  looked  about  him  on  all 
sides,  wondering  what  the  leaders  of  the  people  could  be 
thinking  of  it ;  indeed,  as  Siptah  had  told  Kasana,  they 
purposed  to  encamp  between  Pihahiroth,  of  which  he  now 
saw  the  tents  and  huts  close  before  him  on  the  shore  of  the 
canal  of  Seti,  and  the  hill  of  Baal-Zephon. 

Had  Siptah  spoken  falsely?  No,  indeed!  The  base 
traitor  had  this  once  departed  from  his  habits.  Between  the 
village  and  the  lake,  where  the  wind  was  whirling  thin 
pillars  of  smoke,  his  sharp  eyes  descried  a  multitude  of 
white  objects  looking  like  a  distant  flock  of  sheep,  and 
among  and  around  them  a  strange  stir  and  bustle  on  the 
sand.     This  was  the  camp  of  the  Israelites. 

How  small  the  space  appeared  which  parted  him  from 
them.  But  the  nearer  they  seemed  the  greater  was  his 
anxiety,  as  he  reflected  that  this  vast  multitude,  with  its 
womei.  ind  children,  its  herds  and  tents,  could  never 
escape  the  mighty  host  which  in  a  few  hours  must  inevi- 
tably fall  upon  them.  His  heart  swelled  within  him  as  he 
looked  further  afield  ;  for  neither  to  the  east,  where 
stretched  a  broad  pool  of  water,  nor  to  the  south,  where 
the  waves  of  the  Red  Sea  were  surging,  nor  to  the  north, 
whence  Pharaoh's  army  was  marching  down  on  them,  was 
there  any  way  to  fly.  To  the  west  lay  the  desert  of 
Etham,  and  if  the  wanderers  turned  thitherward  they 
would  soon  be  on  Egyptian  soil,  and  the  exodus  would 


JOSHUA.  173 

have  been  in  vain.  There  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  give 
battle,  and  as  he  thought  of  it  his  blood  ran  cold,  for  he 
well  knew  the  ill-armed,  undisciplined  forces  of  the 
Hebrews,  half  wild  and  refractory,  half  cowardly  and  con- 
temptible, and  he  had  seen  the  march  past  of  the  num- 
berless and  well-equipped  Egyptian  army,  with  its  strong 
force  of  foot-soldiers  and  splendid  war-chariots. 

He  now  thought,  as  his  uncle  had  thought,  that  the 
Hebrews  were  doomed  to  certain  destruction,  unless  the 
God  of  their  fathers  should  save  them.  Miriam  had  indeed 
many  a  time,  and  again  just  before  his  departure,  praised 
that  Almighty  Lord  and  His  glory  with  flashing  eyes  and 
inspired  words ;  that  God  who  had  chosen  his  people 
above  all  other  people.  The  words  of  the  prophetess  had 
filled  his  childish  soul  with  vague  terrors  of  this  God's 
immeasurable  greatness  and  awful  wrath.  He  had  found  it 
easier  to  uplift  his  spirit  to  the  Sun-god  when  his  teacher, 
a  kind  and  genial  Egyptian  priest,  had  led  him  into  the 
temple  at  Pithom.  As  he  grew  older  he  had  entirely 
ceased  to  feel  the  need  of  turning  to  any  god  in  prayer ;  for 
he  craved  nothing,  and  while  other  boys  were  still  obedient 
to  their  parents'  will,  the  shepherds,  who  knew  full  well  that 
he  was  the  owner  of  the  flocks  they  tended,  had  called  him 
their  lord,  and,  at  first  in  jest  but  then  in  earnest,  had  done 
him  service  as  their  master ;  thus  his  independence  had 
been  early  fostered,  and  he  had  grown  to  be  but  a  wrong- 
headed  lad.  Healthy  and  strong,  looked  up  to  by  men 
older  than  himself,  he  was  wholly  self-sufficient,  and  felt 
that  others  depended  on  him  ;  and  as  there  was  nothing  he 
liked  so  little  as  asking  anything  of  any  one,  great  or  small, 
it  misliked  him  to  pray  even  to  a  God  who  was  so  far  and 
so  high  above  him.  But  at  this  moment,  when  the  fearful 
fate  impending  over  his  people  weighed  so  heavily  on  his 
heart,  a  sense  came  upon  him  that  only  this  great  and 
mighty  God  could  deliver  them  out  of  their  fearful  and 
pressing  peril ;  that  none  could  withstand  this  vast  host 
but  only  He  in  whose  power  it  lay  to  break  the  heavens 
and  the  earth  in  pieces. 

And  what  was  he  that  the  Most  High,  whom  Miriam  and 
Joshua  had  described  as  of  such  majesty,  should  care  for 
him  ?  But  his  people  were  many  thousands,  and  God 
had  not  scorned  to  make  them  His  own,  and. to  promise 
them  great  things.     They  were  standing  on  the  verge  of 


174  JOSHUA. 

destruction,  and  he,  fresh  from  the  evening's  camp,  was 
perchance  the  only  soul  who  understood  how  great  was 
their  peril. 

A  conviction  suddenly  came  over  him  that  it  was  he, 
therefore,  above  all  others,  whose  task  it  must  be  to  warn 
the  God  of  his  fathers  of  the  great  danger  which  threatened 
His  people,  and  to  beseech  Him  to  save  them  ;  He,  caring 
for  the  whole  heaven  and  earth,  the  sun  and  the  stars,  had 
perhaps  forgotten  them.  The  lad  was  still  standing  on  the 
top  of  the  ruined  tower,  and  from  thence  he  uplifted  his 
arms  and  face  to  heaven. 

To  the  north  he  saw  the  dark  clouds,  which  he  had 
observed  rising  over  the  blue  sky,  suddenly  part  and  roll 
asunder  on  either  hand.  The  wind  which  had  died  away 
after  sunrise  now  gained  force  and  swiftness,  and  soon 
rose  to  a  storm  again.  It  swept  across  the  isthmus  in 
gusts  which  succeeded  each  other  with  increasing  rapidity, 
carrying  before  it  dense  pillars  of  yellow  sand. 

He  must  cry  aloud,  very  loud,  if  He  whom  he  entreated 
was  to  hear  him  in  high  heaven,  and  with  all  the  strength 
of  his  young  lungs  he  shouted  against  the  storm  : 

"  Adonai,  Adonai  !  Thou  whose  name  is  Jehovah, 
Thou  great  God  of  my  fathers,  hearken  unto  me,  Ephraim, 
who  am  but  young  and  of  no  account,  and  whom,  inasmuch 
as  I  am  but  naught,  Thou  had  not  remembered.  For  my- 
self I  ask  not.  But  the  people  whom  Thou  hast  called 
Thine  are  in  great  straits.  They  have  left  their  safe 
dwellings  and  good  pastures  by  reason  that  Thou  hast 
promised  them  a  better  and  a  fairer  land,  and  that  they 
trusted  in  Thee  and  in  Thy  word.  And  now  the  host  of 
Pharaoh  is  drawing  near,  and  it  is  so  great  that  our  people 
can  never  withstand  it.  Believe  me  it  is  so,  Eloi,  my 
Lord.  For  I  have  seen  it,  and  have  been  in  the  midst 
of  it,  and  as  surely  as  I  stand  here  I  know  that  the  Egyp- 
tians are  too  many  for  Thy  people.  Pharaoh's  host  will 
trample  them  under  foot  as  the  hoof  of  the  ox  tramples  the 
grain  on  the  threshing  floor.  And  my  nation,  who  are  Thy 
people,  are  encamped  in  a  place  where  the  warriors  of 
Pharaoh  can  cut  them  off  from  all  sides,  so  that  there  is  no 
way  left  them  by  which  they  may  escape  ;  not  one,  for  I 
have  seen  it  from  this  spot.  Hear  me,  O  Adonai  ! — But 
canst  Thou  hear  my  cry,  O  Lord,  in  such  a  storm  ?  Yea, 
purely  Thou  canst,  for  Thou  art  almighty,  and  if  Thou  hear 


JOSHUA.  175 

me  and  understand,  Thou  raayest,  if  Thou  wilt,  behold  with 
Thine  own  eyes  that  I  speak  the  truth.  Then  remember, 
O  Lord,  and  fulfill  the  promise  Thou  hast  made  to  Thy 
people  by  the  mouth  of  Thy  servant  Moses. 

"  I  have  seen  treason  among  the  Egyptians,  and  murder, 
and  base  cunning,  and  their  doings  have  filled  me,  who  am 
but  a  simple  lad,  with  rage  and  horror.  And  how  shouldst 
Thou,  from  whom  all  good  things  come,  and  whom  Miriam 
names  as  Truth  itself,  deal  with  us  even  as  those  accursed 
ones  do,  and  break  Thy  word  and  promise  to  Thy  people 
who  trust  in  Thee?  I  know,  O  Lord  Most  High,  that  this 
is  far  from  Thee,  and  perhaps  it  is  sin  only  to  think  of  it. 
Hear  me,  Adonai  !  Behold  and  look  to  the  north  upon  the 
tents  of  Egypt,  which  by  this  hour  are  leaving  their  camp 
and  moving  on ;  look  to  the  south  upon  the  peril  of  Thy 
people,  and  how  that  they  have  no  way  of  escape,  and  save 
and  deliver  them  by  the  help  of  Thy  might  and  great  wis- 
dom; for  Thou  hast  promised  them  a  new  land,  and  if  they 
are  utterly  cut  off  how  may  they  reach  it  ?  " 

Thus  he  ended  this  guileless,  untutored  prayer,  but  it 
flowed  from  the  depth  of  his  heart. 

Then  he  sprang  away  from  the  heap  of  ruins  with  wide 
leaps,  across  the  desert  at  his  feet,  and  ran  on  towards  the 
south  as  swiftly  as  though  he  were  again  fleeing  from 
captivity.  He  felt  the  rushing  blast  from  the  north-east 
driving  him  on,  and  thought  how  it  would  hasten  the  ad- 
vance of  Pharaoh's  foot-soldiers.  The  leaders  of  his  people 
did  not  know  perhaps  how  vast  was  the  host  which  threat- 
ened them,  and  under-estimated  the  danger  of  their  position. 
But  he  saw  it,  and  could  give  them  the  fullest  information. 
But  he  must  hasten,  fly,  and  he  felt  as  though  in  this  race 
before  the  storm  his  feet  had  really  got  wings. 

He  had  soon  reached  the  village  of  Pihahiroth,  and,  as  he 
fled  through  it  without  pausing  for  an  instant,  he  perceived 
that  man  and  beast  had  deserted  the  tents  and  dwellings. 
The  inhabitants  had  no  doubt  found  a  place  of  refuge  for 
themselves  and  their  belongings  from  the  coming  army,  or 
from  the  emigrant  Hebrews.  As  he  went  on,  the  clouds 
grew  darker  and  darker — and  rarely  indeed  was  the  sky 
overcast  here  at  mid-day — and  the  wilder  blew  the  storm. 
His  thick  hair  flew  about  his  hot  head,  his  breath  came 
hard,  still  on  he  sped  ;  he  felt  as  if  his  feet  scarcely  touched 
the  ground  at  all. 


176  yosnuA. 

As  he  got  nearer  to  the  sea  the  blast  howled  and  shrieked, 
the  waves,  lashed  to  fury,  beat  in  thunder  on  the  rocks  at 
the  foot  of  the  hill  of  Baal-Zcphon.  Now,  within  a  short 
hour  after  leaving  the  ruins,  he  had  reached  the  first  tents 
of  the  encampment,  and  the  familiar  cry  of  "  Unclean  ! " 
as  well  as  the  mourning  garb  of  the  people,  whose  disfigured 
faces  looked  forth  from  the  wreck  of  the  tents  beaten  down 
by  the  wind,  told  him  that  he  had  come  upon  the  lepers' 
quarters,  placed  by  Moses  outside  the  camp.  Still,  he  was 
in  such  haste  that  he  did  not  make  a  circuit;  but  ran  straight 
on  at  his  utmost  speed.  Nor  did  he  pause  till  a  tall  palm 
tree,  uprooted  by  the  blast,  came  to  the  ground  so  close  to 
him  that  its  tuft  of  leaves  swept  him  as  it  fell. 

At  last  he  was  among  the  tents  and  penfolds  of  his  own 
tribe,  and  many  of  these  had  likewise  been  overturned. 

He  inquired  of  the  first  man  he  recognized  for  Nun,  the 
father  of  Joshua  and  of  his  deceased  mother.  He  had 
gone  to  the  seashore  with  Moses  and  the  elders  of  the 
people,  and  Ephraim  followed  him  thither,  the  moist  salt 
air  refreshing  him  and  cooling  his  brow.  Yet  he  might  not 
immediately  speak  with  him,  so  he  collected  his  thoughts 
and  reserved  his  breath,  while  he  watched  the  elders  who 
were  in  discussion  with  a  party  of  gaily-clad  Phoenician 
boatmen. 

He,  being  so  much  younger,  was  forbidden  to  disturb 
the  venerable  leaders  of  the  people  in  the  council  which 
evidently  had  reference  to  the  sea,  for  the  Hebrews  were 
pointing  to  the  head  of  the  bay,  and  the  Phoenicians  waved 
their  hands  now  towards  the  mountain  and  now  to  the  sea, 
or  the  sky,  or  the  north,  whence  came  the  still-increasing 
storm. 

A  jutting  wall  sheltered  the  party  of  elders  from  the 
hurricane,  and  yet  they  had  great  difficulty  in  keeping  their 
feet  with  the  help  of  their  staves  and  the  stone-work  be- 
hind them. 

At  last  the  discussion  came  to  an  end  ;  the  lad  saw  the 
gigantically  tall  figure  of  Moses  slowly  and  majestically  go 
down  to  the  edge  of  the  sea  with  some  other  leaders  of  the 
Hebrews,  while  Nun,  supported  by  one  of  his  herdsmen, 
toiled  back  against  the  wind  to  the  camp  with  what  speed 
he  might.  He  wore  a  mourning  robe,  and,  whereas  the 
others  looked  glad  and  hopeful  as  they  parted,  his  hand- 
some face,  with  its  crown  and  beard  of  white  hair,  wore  a 


JOSHUA  177 

look  of  crushing  and  heart-breaking  grief.  When  Ephraim 
spoke  his  name  he  raised  his  bent  head,  and,  seeing  the  lad 
before  him,  tottered  backwards  with  surprise  and  misgiving, 
clinging  tightly  to  the  stalwart  arm  which  upheld  him. 
News  had  been  sent  to  him  of  his  son's  and  his  grandson's 
terrible  fate  from  the  freed  slaves  he  had  left  behind  him  in 
Tanis.  The  old  man  had  rent  his  garments,  had  thrown 
ashes  on  his  head  and  put  on  mourning  raiment,  and  broken 
his  heart  for  his  beloved  and  noble  son  and  his  promising 
young  grandson. 

Now  Ephraim  was  before  him  in  the  flesh  ;  and  when  he 
had  laid  his  hand  on  the  lad's  shoulder,  and  kissed  him 
again  and  again,  he  inquired  whether  his  son,  too,  was  still 
in  the  land  of  the  living  and  remembered  him  and  his 
people.  As  soon  as  the  youth  had  assured  him  that  he 
did,  Nun  laid  his  arm  across  his  shoulders  that  he,  his  own 
flesh  and  blood  and  no  stranger,  might  shield  him  from  the 
violence  of  the  storm. 

He  had  a  solemn  and  imperative  duty  to  fulfill,  from 
which  no  man  might  hinder  him,  but  when  the  eager  youth 
shouted  in  his  ear  above  the  roar  of  the  hurricane,  as  they 
went  back  to  the  camp,  that  he  meant  to  gather  together 
his  shepherds  and  the  young  men  of  his  tribe  to  rescue 
Hosea,  who  was  now  called  Joshua,  the  patriarch's  vehe- 
ment vigor  was  stirred,  and  clasping  his  grandson  to  his 
heart  he  exclaimed  that,  old  as  he  was,  yet  was  he  not  too 
old  to  wield  an  axe  and  go  forth  with  the  young  ones  to 
deliver  his  son.  And  his  eyes  flashed  through  tears,  while, 
with  the  arm  that  was  free,  he  appealed  to  Heaven,  crying  : 

"  The  God  of  my  fathers  in  whom  I  have  learned  to  trust 
watches  over  the  faithful !  Do  you  see  the  sand  over  there  at 
the  head  of  the  bay,  the  seaweed  and  shells  ?  Only  an  hour 
ago  that  was  covered  by  water,  foaming  waves  were  dan- 
cing over  the  spot.  That,  boy,  is  the  way  deliverance  lies  ; 
if  this  wind  holds,  the  tide  will  ebb  further  still,  so  the  Phoe- 
nician seamen  assure  us.  Their  god  of  the  north  wind, 
they  say,  is  favorable  to  us,  and  their  youths  have  lighted 
a  fire  to  the  god  up  there  on  the  heights  of  Baal-Zephon. 
But  we  know  that  it  is  another  God  who  hath  opened  a  way 
for  us  into  the  desert.     We  were  in  sore  straits,  my  son  !" 

"  Yes,  grandfather,"  cried  the  boy.  "  You  were  as  a  lion 
in  a  pitfall,  and  the  Egyptian  tent  is  mighty  and  uncon- 
querable ;  every  man  of  that  host  have  1  seen  march  past, 

1Z 


178  yosrruA. 

from  the  first  even  to  the  last.  I  flew  as  fast  as  my  feet 
might  bear  me  to  tell  you  all  how  many  heavy  troops, 
archers,  horses  and  chariots." 

"We  know  it,  we  know  it,"  interrupted  the  old  man. 
"  But  here  we  are  ! "  and  he  pointed  to  a  tent  completely 
blown  in,  which  some  serving  men  were  endeavoring  to 
prop  up,  and  close  to  it  sat  a  very  old  Hebrew  in  a  litter, 
Elishama,  the  father  of  Nun,  wrapped  in  many  robes. 

Nun  eagerly  spoke  a  few  words  to  him,  and  led  Ephraim 
forward.  And  then,  while  the  lad  fell  on  his  great-grand- 
father's neck  to  be  caressed  and  embraced,  Nun  spoke  with 
youthful  spirit  to  the  herdsmen  and  servants  : 

"  Let  the  tent  fall,  men  !  The  storm  has  only  done  your 
task  for  you  !  Wrap  the  canvas  about  the  poles,  load  the 
carts  and  beasts.  Hasten  now,  you  Gad,  Shammua,  Jacob ; 
help  the  others.  The  hour  of  our  departing  is  at  hand. 
Each  man  make  haste  to  harness  the  beasts,  to  saddle  and 
load  the  asses  with  all  speed.  The  Lord  hath  opened  a 
way  for  us.  In  the  name  of  the  Lord,  and  by  the  com- 
mands of  Moses,  each  must  make  ready  for  departing. 
Every  man  keep  to  the  old  order.  We  march  first  at  the 
head  of  the  host ;  then  come  the  other  tribes,  and  after 
them  the  strangers  ;  last  of  all  the  lepers  and  unclean. 
Rejoice,  all  ye  people,  for  our  God  is  working  a  great 
wonder,  and  making  the  sea  dry  land  for  us,  His  chosen 
people.  Give  thanks  to  Him  while  you  labor,  and  entreat 
Him  from  the  bottom  of  your  hearts  that  He  will  ever  pro- 
tect us.  He  who  would  not  perish  at  the  edge  of  the 
sword,  or  be  crushed  under  the  wheels  of  Pharaoh's 
chariots,  let  him  put  forth  his  strength  and  forget  to  rest. 
We  shall  find  rest  as  soon  as  we  have  escaped  from  this 
peril.  Give  me  the  tent  cloth  ;  I  will  roll  it  up  myself. 
And  do  your  part,  boy.  See  the  children  of  Manasseh 
yonder,  they  are  packing  and  loading  !  Well  done,  Ephraim, 
you  know  how  to  use  your  hands  !  But  there  is  yet 
much  to  be  done.  And  my  old  head  forgets.  So  much 
has  come  upon  me  at  once.  Here,  Raphu,  you  have 
swift  legs  ;  I  took  it  upon  me  to  give  warning  in  the  camp 
of  the  strangers.  Hasten  to  them,  and  bid  them  speed 
their  departing,  that  they  be  not  too  far  behind  the  people 
of  Israel.  Time  is  precious  !  O  Lord,  our  God,  shelter 
Thy  people  with  Thy  protecting  hand,  and  drive  the  waters 
further  and  further  back   with    the   storm  which    is  Thy 


JOSHUA.  179 

mighty  breath  !  Pray,  each  one  of  you,  in  your  heart, 
while  you  work.  The  Almighty  and  All  knowing  God,  who 
sees  into  your  hearts,  shall  hear.  That  is  too  heavy  a 
burthen  for  you,  Ephraim  ;  you  will  hurt  yourself  No  ! 
The  boy  is  a  strong  boy  !  Do  as  he  does,  and  ye  of  Suc- 
coth,  rejoice  in  the  strength  of  your  young  master  !  " 

The  last  words  were  addressed  to  Ephraim's  shepherds, 
serving  men  and  women,  most  of  whom  had  greeted  him 
in  the  midst  of  their  toil,  had  kissed  his  hand  or  his  arm, 
and  been  glad  at  his  home-coming.  They  were  packing 
and  loading,  folding  and  fitting,  and  getting  the  beasts 
together  which  had  been  scared  by  the  storm  with  many 
blows  and  much  outcry. 

The  men  of  Succoth  were  zealous  to  imitate  their  young 
master,  those  from  Tanis  to  serve  their  master's  grandson ; 
the  other  herd-owners  and  humbler  folk  of  the  tribe  of 
Ephraim,  whose  tents  had  clustered  round  that  of  Nun,  their 
elder,  were  all  no  less  eager ;  and  yet  it  was  some  hours 
before  all  the  tents,  the  house-gear  and  the  victuals  for 
man  and  beast  had  found  a  place  in  the  carts  or  on  the 
beasts  of  burden,  and  the  old,  the  sick,  and  the  feeble  were 
laid  in  litters  and  chariots  once  more. 

The  wild  wind  now  and  then  brought  the  sound  of 
Moses'  deep  voice,  or  Aaron's  lighter  tones,  to  the  spot 
where  the  Ephraimites  were  busy.  Neither  they  nor  the 
sons  of  Judah  needed  this  to  spur  them  ;  for  Hur  and 
Nahshon  commanded  these  last,  and  by  the  side  of  Hur 
stood  Miriam,  his  newly-wedded  wife.  With  the  other 
tribes  and  the  strangers  it  was  otherwise ;  and  the  stiff- 
necked  and  cowardly  conduct  of  their  leaders  had  resulted 
in  much  misery  and  confusion. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

It  had  been  found  to  be  impossible  to  break  through  the 
frontier  lines  of  Etham  and  follow  the  nearest  road  to 
Palestine  in  a  north-easterly  direction  ;  and  the  second 
plan  proposed  by  Moses,  that  they  should  march  round 
Migdol  of  the  South,  had  likewise  failed,  for  spies  had 
reported  that  the  garrison  there  had  been  strongly  rein- 
forced.    Hereupon  the  multitude  had  assembled  round  the 


<&o  JOSHUA. 

man  of  God,  and  had  declared  that  sooner  would  they 
re  cum  home  with  all  their  families,  and  appeal  to  Pharaoh's 
mercy,  than  suffer  themselves,  their  wives  and  their  child- 
ren to  be  butchered. 

For  many  days  it  had  been  necessary  to  keep  them  back, 
but  when  fresh  messengers  brought  word  that  Pharaoh  was 
running  down  on  them  with  a  mighty  host,  the  time  seemed 
to  be  at  hand  when  the  Hebrews,  who  were  now  in  the 
greatest  peril,  must  be  urged  to  force  their  way  onward. 
Moses  had  exerted  the  full  weight  of  his  commanding  indi- 
viduality, and  Aaron  all  the  powers  of  his  persuasive 
eloquence,  while  old  Nun  and  Hur  had  striven  to  infuse 
some  of  their  own  fiery  spirit  into  the  rest.  But  the  terri- 
fying tidings  had  broken  the  last  remnant  of  courage  and 
faith  in  most  of  the  people,  and  they  had  already  determined 
to  send  word  to  Pharaoh  of  their  repentance;  but  the  mes- 
senger whom  they  had  despatched  turned  back,  declaring 
that  the  approaching  army  had  orders  not  to  spare  a  single 
Hebrew,  but  to  teach  even  those  who  should  pray  for 
mercy  at  the  point  of  the  sword  how  Pharaoh  would 
punish  those  who,  by  their  magic  arts,  had  brought  death 
and  misery  on  so  many  Egyptians.  Thus  had  they  learned 
too  late  that  their  return  would  lead  them  to  destruction 
no  less  surely  than  a  bold  advance.  But  when,  on  this, 
the  fighting  men  led  by  Hur  and  Nun  had  proceeded 
almost  as  far  as  Migdol  of  the  South,  they  had  turned  and 
fled  at  the  loud  blast  of  the  Egyptian  trumpets,  and  by 
the  time  they  returned  to  the  camp,  weary,  dispirited  and 
wroth,  fresh  and  exaggerated  reports  of  the  might  of  Pha- 
raoh's host  had  been  brought  to  the  Hebrews,  and  mortal 
fear  and  despair  had  fallen  on  even  the  bravest.  Exhorta- 
tion was  cast  to  the  winds  ;  threats  were  laughed  to  scorn  ; 
and  the  rebellious  multitude  had  forced  their  leaders 
onward  till  they  had  reached  the  shores  of  the  Red  Sea,  and 
its  deep  green  waters  compelled  them  to  give  up  all  further 
flight  to  the  southward.  So  the  people  had  encamped  be- 
tween Pihahiroth  and  Baal-Zephon,  and  here,  once  more, 
their  chief  had  called  upon  them  in  the  name  of  the  God 
of  their  fathers.  In  the  face  of  certain  destruction, 
from  which  no  human  power  could  save  them,  they  had 
been  brought  to  lift  their  eyes  to  Heaven  again  ;  and  in  the 
soul  of  Moses  pity  and  sympathy  had  revived  more 
strongly  for  the  hapless  and  much-tried  people  who  had 


yosHUA.  isi 

come  forth  at  his  bidding.  During  the  past  night  he  had 
gone  up  into  the  mountain  of  Baal-Zephon,  and  there,  amid 
the  roaring  of  the  storm  and  hissing  flare  of  the  lightning, 
he  had  sought  and  found  communion  with  the  Lord.  And 
he  had  not  wearied  laying  before  Him  the  evil  flight  of  his 
people,  and  beseeching  Him  to  deliver  them. 

In  that  same  hour  had  Miriam,  the  wife  of  Hur,  gone 
down  to  the  sea-shore  to  entreat  the  Lord  likewise,  under 
a  solitary  palm  tree,  for  still  she  felt  herself  His  chosen 
handmaid.  She  besought  Him  for  the  women  and  children, 
whose  trust  in  Him  had  brought  them  to  this  pass.  And 
she  would  fain  have  prayed  for  the  friend  of  her  youth 
who  was  now  pining  in  fearful  captivity ;  but  as  she  fell  on 
her  knees  she  could  only  say  in  a  timid  and  broken  voice  : 

"  Forget  not  Thou  Hosea,  whom  I  at  Thy  word  named 
Joshua,  albeit  he  hath  been  less  obedient  to  Thy  call 
than  Moses',  my  brother,  or  Hur,  my  husband  !  Forget  not, 
either,  young  Ephraim,  the  grandson  of  Thy  faithful  servant 
Nun." 

Then  she  went  back  to  her  husband's  tent,  a  chiefs 
tent,  while  many  a  humbler  man  and  many  a  poor  terrified 
woman  of  the  people,  outside  their  wretched  shelter  or  lying 
on  a  thin  mat  wet  with  tears,  uplifted  an  anxious  heart  to 
the  God  of  their  fathers,  and  commended  to  His  care  those 
whom  they  loved  best.  Thus,  in  this  night  of  sorest  need, 
the  camp  was  a  temple  in  which  high  and  low,  chief 
and  mother,  master  and  slave,  nay,  even  the  afflicted  leper, 
sought  and  found  the  Lord. 

At  last  the  morning  had  dawned  when  Ephraim  had 
spoken  his  childlike  prayer,  shouting  it  down  the  storm, 
and  the  sea  was  beginning  to  retire. 

Then,  when  they  beheld  with  their  own  eyes  the  miracle 
which  the  Most  High  had  wrought  for  His  chosen  people, 
the  most  despairing  and  fearful  became  so  many  glad  and 
hopeful  believers.  Not  among  the  sons  of  Ephraim  only, 
among  all  the  tribes,  nay,  and  the  strangers  and  unclean, 
their  newly-awakened  and  joyful  confidence  moved  each 
one  to  prepare  with  all  his  strength  for  further  journeying  ; 
and  for  the  first  time  the  multitude  assembled  without 
strife  or  jealousy,  without  fighting,  curses,  and  tears. 

After  sunset  Moses,  staff  in  hand,  and  Aaron,  singing 
and  praying,  led  the  way  to  the  head  of  the  gulf.  The 
storm,  which  was  raging  as  wildly  as  ever,  had  swept  back 


1 82  JOS  ITU  A. 

the  waters,  and  bore  down  the  flames  and  smoke  of  the 
torches  which  were  carried  at  the  head  of  each  tribe,  from 
north-east  to  south-west. 

Next  to  the  two  great  leaders,  on  whom  every  eye  was 
fixed  with  eager  anticipation,  Nun  marched  with  the 
children  of  Ephraim.  The  sea-bottom  on  which  they  trod 
was  firm  damp  sand  on  which  even  the  cattle  could  safely 
cross  as  on  a  smooth  highway,  gently  sloping  towards  the 
sea.  Ephraim,  who  was  regarded  by  his  elders  as 
the  future  head  of  his  tribe,  had,  by  his  grandfather's 
desire,  undertaken  to  be  careftd  that  the  train  of  men  and 
beasts  should  not  come  to  a  standstill,  and  to  this  end  he 
had  been  entrusted  with  a  chief's  staff.  The  fishermen 
who  dwelt  in  the  huts  which  clustered  at  the  foot  of  Baal- 
Zephon  agreed  with  the  Phoenician  seamen  in  saying  that 
as  soon  as  the  moon  had  reached  the  zenith  the  waters 
would  rise  again  to  their  old  place,  so  no  delay  could  be 
allowed.  The  lad  gloried  in  the  storm,  and  as  his  hair 
blew  about  his  face,  and  he  fought  against  the  wind  while 
he  hurried  to  and  fro  in  fulfillment  of  his  tr.sk,  this  felt  to 
him  as  a  foretaste  of  the  great  enterprise  he  had  in  his 
mind. 

Thus  matters  sped  through  the  darkness  which  quickly 
followed  on  the  twilight.  The  strong  smell  of  the  fish  left 
on  dry  land  was  pleasanter  to  the  youth,  who  now  felt  him- 
self a  man  indeed,  than  the  sweet  fragrance  of  nard  in 
Kasana's  tent.  Once  the  thought  of  her  flashed  through 
his  mind ;  but  indeed,  during  these  times,  he  had  had  no 
time  to  think  of  her.  His  hands  were  quite  full ;  here  the 
seaweed  must  be  cleared  aside  which  a  wave  had  left  in 
the  way ;  there  the  ram  of  a  flock  which  hesitated  to  set 
foot  on  the  moist  ground  must  be  seized  by  the  horns  and 
dragged  forward,  or  the  oxen  and  beasts  of  burthen  driven 
through  a  pool  they  were  shy  of.  Many  times  he  had  to 
lend  a  shoulder  to  lift  a  heavily  laden  cart  of  which  the 
wheels  had  sunk  in  the  soft  sand,  and  when,  just  as  they 
were  starting  on  this  strange  and  momentous  journey,  even 
on  the  Egyptian  shore,  a  dispute  arose  between  two  herds- 
men as  to  which  should  have  the  lead,  he  promptly  settled 
by  lot  which  was  to  go  forward  and  which  to  follow. 
Two  little  girls  were  crying  and  refusing  to  cross  a  pool 
while  their  mother's  arms  were  occupied  with  her  infant; 
he  picked  them'  up  with  swift  decision  and  carried  them 


JOSHUA.  183 

across  the  shallow  lakelet ;  and  when  a  wheel  came  off  one 
of  the  wagons,  he  immediately  had  it  dragged  out  of  the 
way,  and  by  the  light  of  the  torches  he  made  some  of  the 
serfs  who  were  least  heavily  loaded  carry  each  a  sack  or  a 
bale,  nay,  and  even  the  pieces  of  the  broken  vehicle.  He 
had  comforting  words  for  weeping  women  and  children, 
and  if  the  flare  of  a  torch  showed  him  the  face  of  some 
youth  of  his  own  age,  whose  aid  he  hoped  to  secure  for 
liberating  Joshua,  he  hinted  to  him  in  a  few  spirited  words 
that  he  had  a  bold  deed  in  prospect  which  he  proposed  to 
achieve  with  the  help  of  his  friend. 

The  incense  bearers,  who  had  hitherto  led  the  way,  on 
this  occasion  closed  the  march,  for  the  wind  blowing  from 
the  north-east  would  have  driven  the  smoke  in  the  face  of 
the  people.  They  stood  on  the  Egyptian  shore,  and  soon 
all  the  multitude  had  passed  them  by,  excepting  only  the 
strangers,  and  the  lepers,  who  came  last  of  all.  The 
foreigners  were  indeed  a  motley  host,  consisting  of  Asiatics 
of  Semitic  blood,  who  were  fleeing  from  the  forced  labor 
and  cruel  punishments  which  were  inflicted  on  them  by 
the  law  of  Egypt ;  of  dealers,  who  had  found  buyers  for 
their  wares  among  the  thousands  of  wanderers,  and  even 
of  Shasoo  shepherds  who  had  been  hindered  from  crossing 
the  frontier  on  their  return  home.  With  these  Ephraim 
had  much  trouble,  for  they  refused  to  leave  the  dry  land 
until  the  lepers  had  been  enjoined  to  remain  at  a  greater 
distance  from  them ;  but  even  they  were  brought  to  sub- 
mission by  Ephraim,  with  the  help  of  the  chief  of  the  tribe 
of  Benjamin,  which  marched  last  in  front  of  them  ;  for  he 
warned  them  of  the  prophecy  of  the  Phoenicians  and  fisher- 
men, that  the  moon  as  it  sank  would  bring  the  sea  back 
to  its  old  bed.  Finally,  he  persuaded  the  leader  of  the 
lepers,  an  intelligent  Egyptian,  who  had  been  a  priest, 
to  maintain  at  least  half  the  distance  that  was  demanded. 

Meanwhile  the  tempest  continued  to  rage  with  increasing 
fury  ;  the  roar  and  long-drawn  shrieks  of  the  wind,  mingling 
with  the  thunder  of  the  breakers  and  the  duller  moan  of 
the  surf,  drowned  the  shouts  of  command,  the  wailing  of 
the  women,  the  bellowing  and  the  bleating  of  the  trem- 
bling beasts  and  the  whining  of  the  dogs.  Ephraim's  voice 
was  audible  only  to  those  nearest  to  him  ;  many  torches 
were  extinguished,  and  the  rest  kept  alight  with  difficulty. 
At  length,  when  for  one  short  space  he  had  been  walking 


184  JOSHUA. 

behind  the  last  of  the  lepers,  going  slowly  to  recover  his 
breath  and  get  a  little  rest,  he  heard  his  name  called  from 
the  rear,  and,  turning  round,  beheld  an  old  playmate  who 
was  returning  from  spying  the  enemy,  and  who,  seeing  the 
leader's  staff  in  the  lad's  hand,  shouted  in  his  ear  with 
panting  gasps  that  Pharaoh's  chariots  were  coming  on  in 
the  van  of  the  Egyptian  host.  He  had  left  them  by  Piha- 
hiroth,  and  if  they  had  not  waited  to  let  the  other  troops 
come  up  with  them,  they  might  at  any  moment  overtake 
the  fugitives.  Thereupon  he  again  pressed  forward  to 
reach  the  leaders  of  the  multitude.  Put  Ephraim  stood 
still  a  moment  in  the  middle  of  the  way  with  his  hand  he.d 
to  his  brow,  and  great  anxiety  came  down  on  his  soul.  He 
knew  full  well  that  the  approaching  army  would  overrun 
the  women  and  children  whom  he  had  just  seen  in  all  their 
pathetic  terror  and  helplessness,  as  a  man  treads  down  a 
file  of  ants;  and  again,  all  his  impulses  urged  him  to 
prayer,  and  from  the  depths  of  his  oppressed  heart  the 
imploring  cry  went  up  into  the  night — 

"  Eloi  !  Eloi  !  great  God  on  high  !  Thou  knowest,  for 
I  have  told  Thee,  and  Thine  all-seeing  eye  must  behold,  in 
spite  of  the  blackness  of  the  night,  how  sorely  1'hy  people 
are  beset  whom  Thou  hast  promised  to  lead  into  a  new 
land.  Remember  Thy  word,  O  Jehovah  !  Be  gracious 
unto  us,  God  Almighty  !  Our  foe  is  upon  us  with  irresist- 
ible might  !  Stay  his  steps !  Save  us  !  Deliver  the 
women  and  the  children  !  Save  us,  and  be  merciful  unto 
us!" 

As  he  prayed,  he  had  fixed  his  eyes  on  high  and  had 
espied  the  ruddy  blaze  of  a  fire  on  Baal-Zephon.  This 
had  been  lighted  by  the  Phoenicians  to  propitiate  the  Baal 
of  the  north  wind  in  favor  of  the  kindred  race  of  Hebrews, 
and  against  the  hated  Egyptian  nation. 

This  was  friendly  ;  but  he  put  his  trust  in  another  God, 
and  as  he  glanced  again  at  the  vault  of  heaven,  over  which 
the  black  rack  raced  and  gathered  and  divided  again,  and 
swept  to  and  fro,  he  descried,  between  two  parting  clouds, 
the  silver  beam  of  the  full  moon  already  at  its  meridian. 
And  fresh  terrors  came  upon  him,  for  he  remembered  the 
predictions  of  the  weather-wise  seamen.  If  the  flood 
should  at  this  moment  return  to  its  bed,  his  people  were 
doomed  \  for,  to  the  north  of  the  gulf,  where  deep  pools 
lay  amid  rocks  and  slimy  mud,  there  was  no  escape.     If 


JOSHUA.  185 

within  an  hour  the  waters  should  rise,  the  seed  of  Abra- 
ham would  cease  from  the  face  of  the  earth,  as  writing  on 
a  wax  tablet  vanishes  at  the  pressure  of  a  warm  hand. 

But  was  not  this  people,  doomed  to  destruction,  the 
same  which  the  Lord  had  called  to  be  His  own  ?  And 
could  He  give  them  into  the  hand  of  the  enemy  which  was 
His  enemy  also  ? 

No,  a  thousand  times  no  ! 

And  the  moon,  which  was  to  cause  the  disaster,  had  but 
a  short  time  since  aided  his  flight  and  been  his  friend.  He 
could  only  hope  and  believe,  and  cling  to  his  trust  in 
God. 

And  as  yet  nothing  was  lost,  not  a  single  soul.  If  it 
came  to  the  worst,  the  whole  nation  might  not  be  de- 
stroyed ;  his  own  tribe,  which  led  the  way,  least  of  all.  By 
this  time  many  must  have  reached  the  further  shore  ;  more, 
perhaps,  than  he  thought ;  for  the  little  bay  was  narrow, 
and  even  the  lepers,  the  last  of  the  multitude,  had  already 
gone  some  distance  over  the  moist  sand. 

He  lingered  behind  every  one  to  listen  for  the  coming 
of  the  enemy's  chariots.  On  the  shore  of  the  gulf  heiaid 
his  ear  to  the  ground ;  and  he  could  trust  the  sharpness 
of  his  hearing,  for  in  this  attitude  he  had  often  detected 
the  distant  tramp  of  beasts  that  had  gone  astray,  or,  when 
out  hunting,  had  heard  the  approach  of  a  herd  of  antelopes 
or  gazelles. 

He,  being  the  last,  was  in  the  greatest  danger,  but  what 
matter  for  that  ?  How  gladly  would  he  have  given  his 
young  life  to  save  the  rest  ! 

Since  he  had  carried  a  chief's  staff  he  felt  that  he  had 
taken  upon  himself  the  duty  of  watching  over  his  people  ; 
so  he  listened  and  listened,  till  at  last  he  perceived  a 
scarce  audible  thrill  in  the  earth  and  then  a  faint  rumbling. 
This  was  the  foe ;  this  must  be  Pharaoh's  chariots ;  and 
how  swiftly  were  the  proud  steeds  rushing  on  ! 

He  started  to  his  feet  as  though  a  whip  had  stung  him, 
and  flew  onward  to  overtake  the  rest. 

How  oppressively  sultry  the  air  had  become,  in  spite  of 
the  raging  gale  which  had  extinguished  so  many  of  the 
torches  !  The  clouds  hid  the  moon,  but  the  dancing  fire 
on  the  highest  peak  of  Baal-Zephon  shone  broader  and 
brighter.  The  sparks  which  it  cast  up  flew  scurrying  to 
westward,  for   the  wind  was   veering    to    the   east.     No 


iS6  JOSHUA. 

sooner  did  he  perceive  this  than  he  hastened  back  to  the 
youths  who  carried  the  censers  behind  the  procession,  and 
commanded  them,  in  breathless  haste,  to  refill  the  copper 
vessels,  and  take  care  that  the  vapor  rose  thick  ;  for  he 
said  to  himself,  that  the  wind  would  blow  it  into  the  faces 
of  the  horses  and  make  them  refractory,  or  stop  them. 

No  means  seemed  to  him  too  humble,  every  moment 
gained  was  precious,  and  as  soon  as  he  had  seen  the  smoke 
from  the  censers  was  spreading  in  choking  clouds  over  the 
track  left  by  the  advancing  multitude  he  ran  on  again, 
warning  the  elders,  as  he  came  up  with  them,  that  Pha- 
raoh's chariots  were  not  far  behind,  and  that  the  people 
must  hasten  their  march.  Forthwith  the  hosts  on  foot, 
the  bearers,  leaders  and  herdsmen,  collected  their  strength 
to  proceed  faster ;  and  although  the  wind  was  every 
moment  more  decidedly  against  them,  hindering  their  pro- 
gress, they  battled  with  it  valiantly,  and  the  fear  of  their 
pursuers  doubled  their  energies. 

The  lad  was  like  a  sheep-dog  watching  and  driving  the 
flock,  and  the  chiefs  of  the  tribes  looked  kindly  on  him 
wherever  he  was  to  be  seen  ;  and  as  he  made  his  way 
among  the  marching  host,  fighting  onwards  against  the 
blast,  the  east  wind  brought  a  strange  cry  to  his  ears  as 
the  reward  of  his  efforts.  The  nearer  he  came  to  it  the 
louder  it  rose,  and  the  more  sure  he  was  that  it  was  a 
shout  of  triumph  and  gladness,  the  first  that  had  been 
raised  by  Hebrew  voices  for  many  a  long  day.  It  revived 
the  youth  like  a  cool  draught  after  long  thirst,  and  he 
could  not  refrain  from  shouting  aloud,  and  hailing  those 
behind  with  a  cry  of  "  Saved,  saved  !  " 

Several  of  the  tribes  had  already  reached  the  eastern 
shore  of  the  gulf,  and  it  was  they  who  sent  the  shout  of 
joy  which,  witn  the  beacon  fires  they  lighted  along  the 
shore,  gave  the  rear  of  the  host  fresh  courage,  and  renewed 
their  flagging  strength.  By  the  light  of  the  blaze  he  saw 
the  majestic  figure  of  Moses  on  a  hillock  by  the  shore, 
stretching  out  his  staff  towards  the  waters  ;  and  this  image 
was  stamped  on  his  mind,  as  on  that  of  every  soul  present, 
great  and  small,  more  deeply  than  any  other,  and  inflamed 
the  confidence  in  his  heart.  This  man  was  verily  the 
friend  of  God,  and  so  long  as  he  should  hold  up  his  staff 
the  waves  were  spell-bound,  and  the  Lord,  by  His  servant, 
forbade  them  to  return  ! 


JOSHUA.  187 

Ephraim  need  no  more  appeal  to  the  Most  High ;  this 
was  in  the  hands  of  His  great  and  sublime  servant.  But 
his  own  lesser  duty  of  urging  on  one  and  another  to  the 
goal  he  still  must  fulfill. 

Back  he  flew  to  the  lepers  and  the  incense-bearers,  and 
to  each  division  he  shouted  aloud  :  "  Saved,  saved  !  Hasten 
forward  !  The  rod  of  Moses  holds  the  waters  back  !  Many 
have  reached  the  shore  !  Praise  the  Lord  !  Forward, 
forward,  and  you  too  may  join  the  song  !  Fix  your  eyes 
on  those  two  red  fires  !  They  were  kindled  by  those  who 
are  delivered;  between  them  stands  the  servant  of  the 
Lord  uplifting  his  staff." 

Then  he  again  laid  his  ear  to  the  ground,  kneeling  on 
the  wet  sand,  and  he  heard  quite  near  the  rattle  of  wheels 
and  the  heavy  tramp  of  horses.  But  even  while  he  listened 
the  sound  gradually  ceased,  and  he  heard  nothing  but  the 
howling  of  the  storm  and  the  ominous  beating  of  the  wild 
waves,  or  a  cry  now  and  then  borne  down  on  the  east 
wind. 

The  chariots  had  reached  the  shore  of  the  dry  bed  of 
the  gulf,  and  paused  some  little  while,  hesitating  before 
they  started  on  so  perilous  a  passage  ;  then  suddenly  the 
Egyptian  war  cry  rang  out,  and  again  he  heard  the  rolling 
wheels.  It  came  on,  more  slowly  than  before,  but  yet 
faster  than  the  Israelites  could  march. 

For  the  Egyptians,  too,  the  way  lay  open ;  but,  though  his 
people  had  but  a  small  start,  he  need  no  longer  fear  for  them  ; 
all  was  not  lost ;  those  who  had  reached  the  shore  could 
scatter  themselves  during  the  night  among  the  mountain 
solitudes,  and  ensconce  themselves  in  spots  where  no 
chariot  nor  horse  could  pursue  them.  Moses  knew  the 
land  in  which  he  had  long  dwelt  as  a  fugitive  ;  the  only 
thing  now  was  to  warn  him  of  the  approach  of  the  foe.  So 
he  charged  a  comrade  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin  with  the 
message,  and  the  distance  was  no  longer  very  great,  while 
he  himself  still  staid  behind  to  watch  the  coming  of  the 
host.  Without  stooping  to  listen,  and  in  spite  of  the  gale 
which  blew  the  sound  from  him,  he  could  already  hear  the 
clatter  of  the  chariots  and  neighing  of  the  horses.  The 
lepers,  however,  who  likewise  heard  the  noise,  bewailed 
and  wept,  fancying  themselves  already  trodden  under  foot, 
or  swallowed  by  the  cold  dark  waters  ;  for  the  way  was 
fast  shrinking,  and  the  sea  was  greedy    to  recover   the 


1 88  JOSHUA. 

ground  it  had  abandoned.  Man  and  beast  were  forced  to 
march  in  a  narrow  file,  and  while  the  hurrying  troops 
packed  closer  and  closer  they  also  stretched  longer,  and 
precious  moments  were  lost.  Those  who  walked  on  the 
right-hand  side  were  wading  through  the  encroaching 
waves,  in  haste  and  terror,  for  already  behind  them  they 
could  hear  in  the  distance  the  Egyptian  words  of  command. 

But  the  enemy  was  evidently  delayed,  and  Ephraim 
easily  understood  what  caused  their  diminished  speed. 
The  ground  grew  softer  at  every  step,  and  the  narrow 
wheels  of  the  war  chariots  must  sink  deep  in  it,  even  to 
the  axles. 

Under  cover  of  the  darkness  he  crept  back  as  near  as 
he  dared  to  the  pursuing  host,  and  he  could  hear  now  an 
oath  and  now  an  angry  order  to  use  the  lash  more  freely ; 
and  at  last  one  driver  saying  to  his  neighbor  : 

"  What  cursed  folly  !  If  they  had  suffered  us  to  set  out 
before  noon  instead  of  waiting  till  the  omens  had  been 
read  and  Amon  solemnly  installed  in  the  place  of  Baie,  it 
would  have  been  an  easy  matter  enough,  and  we  should 
have  trapped  them  like  a  covey  of  quails.  The  high  priest 
has  shown  his  valor  on  the  field  before  this,  and  now  he 
gives  up  the  leadership  because  a  dying  woman  had  touched 
his  heart  !  " 

"  Siptah's  mother  !  "  another  put  in.  "  Still,  you  are 
right ;  twenty  princesses  ought  not  to  have  turned  him 
from  his  duty  to  us.  If  he  had  staid  by  us  we  should  not 
have  had  to  flay  our  jades  alive,  and  at  an  hour,  too,  when 
any  prudent  captain  leaves  his  men  to  rest  by  the  camp- 
fires  over  their  supper  and  their  game  of  draughts.  Go  to 
the  horse's  heads,  man  !  we  are  stuck  in  the  sand  again  ! " 

Thereupon  a  loud  outcry  arose  behind  the  foremost 
chariot,  and  Ephraim  could  hear  another  voice  exclaiming  : 
"  Get  on  there,  if  the  horses  die  for  it !  " 

"  If  retreat  were  possible,"  said  the  chief  captain  of  the 
war  chariots,  a  relative  of  Pharaoh's,  "  even  now  I  would 
turn  about.  But  as  it  is  we  should  all  tumble  over  each 
other.  So  forward,  cost  what  it  may  !  We  are  close  on 
their  heels.  Halt !  Halt  !  Curses  on  that  pungent  smoke  ! 
Ah  !  wait,  only  wait,  you  dogs !  As  soon  as  the  road  opens 
out  a  little  we  will  get  round  you,  and  may  the  gods  shorten 
my  life  by  a  day  for  every  soul  I  leave  alive  !  Another 
torch  out !    I  cannot   see  my  hand   before  my  face.     A 


JOSHUA.  189 

beggar's  stick  would  be  more  to  the  purpose  than  a  com- 
mander's staff." 

"  And  a  gallows'  rope  about  our  necks  instead  of  a  gold 
chain,"  cried  another.  "  If  only  the  moon  would  come 
out !  It  was  because  the  horoscope  promised  that  it  would 
shine  full  from  evening  till  dawn  that  I  voted  for  the  late 
march,  turning  night  into  day.  If  only  it  were  not  so 
dark  I " 

But  the  sentence  remained  unfinished,  for  a  blast, 
rushing  down  from  the  south-eastern  gorges  of  Baal-Zephon 
like  a  roaring  beast  of  prey,  swept  over  the  speakers,  and 
a  leaping  wave  wetted  Ephraim  through  and  through.  He 
shook  back  his  hair  and  dried  his  eyes  as  he  recovered  his 
breath ;  but  behind  a  loud  cry  of  terror  went  up  from  the 
Egyptians,  for  the  surge  that  had  buc  drenched  him  had 
swept  the  foremost  chariot  into  the  sea.  At  this  the  lad 
began  to  be  alarmed  for  his  people,  and  hefbw  forward; 
but  as  he  started  a  flash  of  lightning  showed  him  the  gulf, 
the  mountain,  and  the  shore.  The  thunder  did  not 
immediately  follow,  but  the  storm  now  came  nearer ;  the 
lightnings,  instead  of  cutting  zigzag  across  the  sky,  flared 
in  broad  sheets  through  the  darkness,  and  before  they  died 
out  the  deafening  crack  of  the  thunder  echoed  among  the 
bare  crags  of  the  mountain-cliffs,  and  rolled  in  deep,  angry 
waves  of  sound  to  the  shore  and  the  head  of  the  bay.  Sea 
and  land,  man  and  beast,  all  was  flooded  with  the  dazzling 
glare  each  time  the  destroying  clouds  discharged  their 
bolts  ;  the  surging  waves  and  the  air  above  them  gleamed 
in  sulphurous  yellow,  through  which  the  lightning  blazed  as 
through  an  olive-tinted  glass  wall.  Now,  too,  Ephraim 
thought  he  discerned  that  the  heaviest  clouds  were  coming 
up  from  the  south  and  not  from  the  north ;  and  presently, 
by  the  lightning's  gleam,  he  saw  that  behind  him,  here  a 
refractory  team  were  plunging  into  the  waves,  there  one 
chariot  was  overturning  another,  and  beyond  these  again 
several  were  locked  together  to  the  destruction  of  the 
drivers  and  men  at  arms,  while  tney  checked  the  progress 
of  those  which  followed. 

Still,  on  the  whole,  the  enemy  was  advancing,  and  the 
space  dividing  the  fugitives  from  the  pursuers  grew  no 
wider.  However,  the  confusion  which  prevailed  among 
the  Egyptians  was  by  this  time  so  great  that  the  cries  of 
terror  of  the  fighting  men  and  the  encouraging  shouts  of 


190  JOSHUA. 

the  drivers  waxed  louder  and  louder,  in  the  intervals 
between  the  maddening  roar  of  the  thunder.  But,  black 
as  were  the  storm  clouds  to  the  south,  fiercely  as  the  wind 
raged,  the  darkened  heavens  shed  no  water,  and,  though 
the  pilgrims  were  wet,  it  was  not  with  rain,  but  with  the 
sparkling  waves  which  darted  higher  and  higher  every 
moment,  washing  up  further  and  further  over  the  dry  sand 
in  the  bay.  The  path  was  narrowing,  the  passing  of  the 
multitude  was  at  an  end.  The  blaze  of  the  beacons  still 
guided  the  frightened  rear  to  the  hoped-for  goal,  remind- 
ing them  that  there  stood  Moses  with  the  staff  lent  him  by 
God.     Every  step  brought  them  nearer. 

Presently  a  shout  of  triumph  proclaimed  that  the  tribe 
of  Benjamin  had  reached  the  shore,  though  they  waded 
through  the  foaming  fringe  of  waters  for  some  little  dis- 
tance. It  had  cost  them  unheard-of  efforts  to  save  the 
cattle  from  the  rising  tide,  to  drag  on  the  loaded  carts,  and 
keep  the  flocks  together ;  but  now  they  all  stood  in  safety 
in  dry  land.  Only  the  strangers  and  lepers  remained  to 
be  rescued.  The  lepers,  indeed,  had  not  .flocks  nor  herds, 
but  the  strangers  had  many,  and  the  storm  so  terrified  the 
people,  as  well  as  the  cattle,  that  they  dared  not  plunge 
into  the  water,  which  was  now  ankle  deep.  Ephraim,  how- 
ever, reached  the  land,  and  called  to  the  herdsmen  from 
the  shore  to  follow  where  he  had  passed,  and  under  his 
guidance  they  drove  the  herds  forward.  This  was  success- 
ful \  the  last  man,  and  the  last  head  of  cattle,  reached  the 
land  of  safety  under  the  raging  storm,  and  amid  loud 
shouts  of  joy.  The  lepers  were  forced  to  wade  through 
waves  up  to  their  knees  and  even  to  their  girdles,  and  before 
they  had  landed  the  gates  of  heaven  were  opened  and  the 
rain  fell  in  torrents.  But  they,  too,  were  safe,  and  though 
many  a  mother,  who  had  been  carrying  her  little  one  in  her 
arms  or  on  her  shoulder,  fell  on  her  knees  on  the  shore ; 
though  many  a  hapless  wretch  who  had  been  helping  his 
sturdier  fellow-sufferers  to  drag  a  cart  through  the  yielding 
sands,  or  wade  through  the  surf  with  a  litter  on  his  back, 
felt  his  head  throb  with  fever;  still,  they,  too,  had  escaped 
destruction. 

They  were  to  await  further  orders  beyond  a  grove  of 
palms  which  stood  on  some  rising  ground  about  a  group 
of  wells  not  far  from  the  shore.  The  tribes  had  gone 
further  inland,  to  proceed  on  their  way  at  a  given  signal ; 


yo's'ffua.  191 

this  was  to  take  them  m  a  south-easterly  direction  into  the 
mountain,  where  inhospitable  rocks  prohibited  any  pursuit 
by  a  regular  army  or  war  chariots. 

Hur  had  gathered  his  men  about  him,  and  they  stood 
armed  with  spears,  slings,  and  short  swords,  ready  to  fall 
on  the  foe  who  might  venture  to  set  foot  on  land.  Men 
and  horses  should  be  cut  down  and  the  chariots  piled  into 
a  high  barrier,  so  as  to  erect  a  difficult  obstacle  in  the  way 
of  their  pursuers.  The  beacons  on  the  shore  were  so 
diligently  fed  and  screened,  that  neither  the  rain  nor  the 
blast  would  extinguish  them.  They  were  to  light  the 
herdsmen  who  were  prepared  to  attack  the  chariots,  and 
old  Nun,  Hur  and  Ephraim  stood  at  their  head.  But  it 
was  in  vain  that  they  waited  for  the  pursuers,  and  when 
the  youth  was  the  first  to  see,  by  the  glare  of  the  beacon- 
fires,  that  the  way  by  which  the  fugitives  had  come  was 
now  one  with  the  broad  level  of  the  sea,  and  that  the  smoke 
was  driving  to  the  north  instead  of  the  south-west — it  was 
about  the  hour  of  the  first  morning  watch — a  shout  of 
triumph  burst  from  breasts  overflowing  with  thankfulness 
and  joy  :  "  Look  at  the  flames  !  The  wind  has  changed  ; 
the  sea  is  being  carried  northwards  !  The  waters  have 
swallowed  up  Pharaoh's  host !  " 

At  this  there  was  silence  for  a  while  in  the  multitude, 
and  then,  suddenly,  Nun's  loud  voice  was  heard  :  "  He  is 
right,  my  children  !  Vain  is  the  strength  of  man  !  O  Lord 
God  !  How  terrible  and  fearful  are  Thy  judgments  on 
Thy  foes  ! " 

Here  he  was  interrupted  by  a  loud  outcry.  But  by  the 
wells,  where  Moses,  greatly  exhausted,  was  leaning 
against  a  palm-tree  with  Aaron  and  many  others  about 
him,  the  fact  which  Ephraim  had  first  discerned  was  now 
observed  by  the  rest ;  the  glad  and  terrible  tidings, 
incredible  but  true,  flew  from  mouth  to  mouth,  and  each 
minute  confirmed  their  certainty.  Every  eye  glanced  sky- 
wards ;  the  black  clouds  were  steadily  sailing  away  to  the 
northward.  The  rain  was  ceasing ;  instead  of  the  angry 
flashes  and  roar  of  thunder,  a  few  pale  gleams  lighted  up  the 
isthmus  and  the  northern  lakes,  and  to  the  south  the  sky 
was  clearing.  At  last  the  low  moon  looked  out  between 
the  banks  of  cloud  ;  its  peaceful  ray  silvered  the  tall  flanks 
of  Baal-Zephon  and  the  shores  of  the  gulf,  now  bathed  once 
more  in  dashing  waves.     The  roaring  and  shrieking  blast 


19*  JOSHUA. 

sank  to  a  murmuring  breeze  from  the  south,  and  the  waters, 
which  had  been  as  a  raging  monster,  besieging  the  rocks, 
now  lay  quivering  with  broken  strength  at  the  stony  base 
of  the  mountain. 

The  sea  spread  a  shroud,  dark  for  a  time,  over  those 
hundreds  of  corpses  ;  but  the  pale  moon,  ere  it  set,  took 
care  that  the  watery  grave  of  a  king  and  so  many  great 
personages  should  not  lack  a  splendid  pall.  His  radiance 
poured  down  on  the  waves  that  hid  them,  decking  them 
with  a  glorious  embroidery  of  diamonds  in  silver  setting. 
Whilst  the  east  grew  bright  and  the  sky  was  red  with 
dawn  the  tents  were  pitched  ;  yet  there  was  little  time  for 
a  hasty  morsel.  Shortly  after  sunrise  the  chief  called  the 
wandering  people  together,  and  as  soon  as  they  had 
assembled  at  the  springs  Miriam  swung  the  tambourine, 
shook  the  circle  of  bells,  and  struck  the  calf-skin  till  they 
sounded  far  and  wide,  and  as  she  paced  forth  with  a  light 
step,  the  women  and  maidens  followed  her,  keeping  rhyth- 
mical time  with  the  dance  ;  and  she  sang  : 

"  I  will  sing  unto  the  Lord,  for  he  hath  triumphed  glori- 
ously ;  the  horse  and  his  rider  hath  he  thrown  into  the 
sea. 

"  The  Lord  is  my  strength  and  song,  and  he  is  become 
my  salvation  :  he  is  my  God,  and  I  will  prepare  him  an 
habitation  ;  my  father's  God,  and  I  will  exalt  him. 

"  Pharaoh's  chariots  and  his  host  hath  he  cast  into  the 
sea  :  his  chosen  captains  also  are  drowned  in  the  Red  Sea. 

"  The  depths  have  covered  them  :  they  sank  into  the  bot- 
tom as  a  stone. 

"  Thy  right  hand,  O  Lord,  is  become  glorious  in  power : 
thy  right  hand,  O  Lord,  hath  dashed  in  pieces  the  enemy. 

"  And  in  the  greatness  of  thine  excellency  thou  hast  over- 
thrown them  that  rose  up  against  thee  :  thou  sentest  forth 
thy  wrath  which  consumed  them  as  stubble. 

"  And  with  the  blast  of  thy  nostrils  the  waters  were  gath- 
ered together,  the  floods  stood  upright  as  an  heap,  and  the 
depths  were  congealed  in  the  heart  of  the  sea. 

"  The  enemy  said,  I  will  pursue,  I  will  overtake,  I  will 
divide  the  spoil;  my  lust  shall  be  satisfied  upon  them; 
I  will  draw  my  sword,  my  hand  shall  destroy  them. 

"  Thou  didst  blow  with  thy  wind,  the  sea  covered  them  ; 
they  sank  as  lead  in  the  mighty  waters. 

"  Who  is  like  unto  thee,  O  Lord,  among  the  gods  ? 


JOSHUA.  193 

"  Who  is  like  thee,  glorious  in  holiness,  fearful  in  praises, 
doing  wonders  ? 

"  Thou  in  thy  mercy  hast  led  forth  the  people  which  thou 
hast  redeemed  :  thou  hast  guided  them  in  thy  strength 
unto  thy  holy  habitation." 

Men  and  women  alike  joined  in  when  she  repeated  the 
cry  :  "  I  will  sing  unto  the  Lord,  for  he  hath  triumphed 
gloriously ;  the  horse  and  his  rider  hath  he  thrown  into 
the  sea." 

This  song  and  this  solemn  hour  were  never  forgotten  by 
the  Israelites  ;  and  each  one  was  full  of  his  God,  and  of 
glad,  thankful  hope  for  happier  days. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

The  song  of  praise  had  died  away  and  the  storm  had 
long  since  ceased  ;  yet  the  morning  sky,  which  had  been 
red  at  dawn,  was  again  covered  with  grey  clouds,  and  a 
strong  wind  still  blew  from  the  south-west  disturbing  the 
lake,  and  shaking  and  rocking  the  crowns  of  palms  which 
stood  by  the  wells. 

The  rescued  people  had  extolled  the  Most  High,  and  even 
the  coldest  and  most  perverse  had  joined  in  Miriam's 
hymn  of  praise,  but,  as  the  procession  of  dancers  approached 
the  sea,  many  would  have  gladly  left  the  ranks  and  have 
hastened  to  the  strand  where  many  things  attracted  them. 
Hundreds  had  now  betaken  themselves  to  the  shore,  where 
the  waves  like  generous  robbers  disgorged  and  washed  up 
on  to  the  sand  that  which  they  had  engulfed  during  the 
night. 

Nor  did  the  women  even  allow  the  wind  to  hinder  them, 
for  covetousness  and  revenge,  the  most  powerful  instincts 
in  the  human  breast,  drew  them  to  the  shore. 

Some  new  object  appeared  every  moment  to  excite  their 
greed ;  for  here  lay  the  corpse  of  a  warrior,  and  there  his 
overthrown  chariot  in  the  sand.  From  this,  if  it  had  been 
the  possession  of  a  great  man,  they  tore  the  silver  or  golden 
ornaments :  from  the  owner  they  took  his  short  sword  or 
battle-axe  out  of  his  girdle,  and  men  and  women  of  the 
common  class,  slaves  and  slave  women  of  the  Hebrews, 
and  the  strangers,  robbed  the  bodies  of  their  clasps  and 

T3 


194  JOSHUA. 

bracelets,  which  were  of  precious  metal,  or  tore  the  rings 
from  the  swollen  fingers  of  the  drowned. 

The  ravens  which  had  followed  the  wanderers,  and  which 
had  disappeared  during  the  storm,  now  returned,  and  were 
striving,  screeching  against  the  wind,  at  least  to  maintain  a 
place  on  the  booty,  the  scent  of  which  had  attracted  them. 

But  far  greedier  than  they,  were  the  dregs  of  the  wan- 
dering host,  and  when  the  sea  threw  a  costly  article  on 
shore  a  wild  cry  was  raised,  and  hard  blows  exchanged. 
The  leaders  themselves  kept  back,  for  they  considered 
that  the  Hebrews  had  a  right  to  the  spoil;  and  if  one  of 
them  tried  to  prevent  gross  covetousness  the  people  re- 
fused to  obey  him. 

What  the  Egyptians  had  so  lately  brought  upon  them 
was  so  dreadful  that  it  never  entered  the  minds  of  the  best 
of  them  to  restrain  their  thirst  for  revenge.  Moreover,  grey- 
bearded  men  of  high  position,  and  women  and  mothers, 
whose  appearance  bespoke  a  kindly  disposition,  drove 
back  the  few  unfortunates  who  had  succeeded  in  reaching 
the  strand  on  the  wreckage  of  the  war-chariots  and  bag- 
gage-wagons. With  shepherds'  crooks  and  travelers' 
staves,  knives  and  axes,  or  by  throwing  stones  and  spiteful 
words,  they  forced  them  to  release  their  hold  on  the  float- 
ing wood  ;  and  the  few  who  were  still  on  land  were  driven 
by  the  furious  mob  back  into  the  sea  which  had  spared 
them  in  vain. 

Their  wrath  was  so  great,  and  revenge  such  a  sacred 
duty,  that  none  dreamed  of  the  respect,  compassion  and 
consideration  due  to  misfortune ;  not  a-  word  that  could 
hint  of  magnanimity  or  pity,  or  even  of  the  profit  that 
might  be  gained  by  saving  the  rescued  to  be  slaves,  or  as 
prisoners  of  war  to  be  ransomed. 

"  Death  to  the  arch-enemy  !  " — "  Destruction  fall  on 
them!" — "Away  with  them!" — "Give  them  as  food  to 
the  fishes  !  " — "  You  drove  us  and  our  children  into  the 
sea,  away  with  you  into  the  salt  waves  !  " 

These  were  the  cries  that  were  raised  on  every  side  and 
which  no  one  checked,  not  even  Miriam  and  Ephraim, 
who  likewise  had  gone  down  to  the  shore  to  witness  the 
tragedy  that  was  being  enacted  there. 

Though  the  maiden  was  now  the  wife  of  Hur,  her  de- 
meanor and  character  had  been  very  little  altered  by  her 
marriage.     The  fate  of  the  people  and  her  relations  with 


JOSHUA.  1 95 

her  God,  whose  prophetess  she  felt  she  was,  were  still  her 
highest  thought ;  and  now  that  all  she  had  hoped  and 
prayed  for  was  being  fulfilled,  now  that  she  had  given 
expression  to  the  feelings  of  the  faithful  in  song,  march- 
ing in  front  of  the  thankful  multitude,  she  considered  she 
attained  the  summit  of  her  existence. 

Ephraim  first  had  reminded  her  of  Joshua,  and  while 
she  spoke  with  him  of  the  prisoner  she  walked  proudly 
along  like  a  queen,  and  answering  the  greetings  of  the 
people  with  majestic  dignity.  Her  eyes  sparkled  with 
happiness,  and  her  face  wore  only  for  a  few  minutes  an 
expression  of  pity  when  the  youth  told  her  of  the  hard- 
ships he  had  endured  with  his  uncle.  Of  course  she  still 
remembered  the  man  she  had  loved,  but  he  was  no  longer 
essential  to  the  high  aim  of  her  life. 

Ephraim  had  just  mentioned  the  lovely  Egyptian  woman 
who  loved  his  uncle,  and  at  whose  petition  the  chains  had 
been  taken  off  the  prisoners,  when  a  loud  cry  was  raised 
on  a  part  of  the  shore  where  a  great  crowd  had  collected. 

Howls  of  rage  and  cries  of  joy  went  up  together,  obviously 
caused  by  the  fact  that  the  sea  had  thrown  up  something 
particularly  valuable  on  land.  Curiosity  attracted  them 
both  to  the  spot ;  and  as  Miriam's  proud  dignity  caused 
the  people  to  stand  aside,  she  soon  caught  sight  of  the  body 
of  a  traveling  chariot  which  had  lost  its  wheels,  and  of  its 
pitiable  contents.  The  linen  canopy  which  had  screened 
it  was  torn  away,  and  lying  on  its  floor  were  two  elderly 
Egyptian  women  ;  a  third,  much  younger,  lay  against  the 
back  seat  of  this  singular  vehicle,  which  had  thus  become  a 
boat.  The  first  two  lay  dead  in  the  water  that  covered 
the  bottom  of  the  carriage,  and  several  Hebrew  women 
were  in  the  act  of  tearing  off  the  costly  ornaments  from 
the  throat  and  arms  of  one  of  them.  The  younger  woman 
had  escaped  death  by  a  wonderful  chance,  and  now  she 
was  offering  her  very  precious  jewels  to  the  Hebrew 
women.  At  the  same  time,  with  pale,  quivering  lips  and 
slender,  half-benumbed  hands,  she  was  promising  the 
robbers,  in  a  soft,  harmonious  voice,  to  give  them  all  she 
had,  and  a  handsome  reward  in  money  as  well,  if  they 
would  spare  her  life.  She  was  still  so  young,  and  she  had 
been  kind,  very  kind,  to  a  Hebrew.  If  they  would  but 
hear  her.  This  petition  sounded  affecting,  though  it  was 
interrupted  so  frequently  with  curses  and  groans  that  little 


196  JOSHUA. 

of  it  was  audible.  Just  as  Miriam  and  Ephraim  reached 
the  shore  she  screamed  aloud,  for  a  brutal  woman  tore  the 
gold  snake  from  her  ear.  The  Egyptian  girl's  cry  of 
anguish  struck  the  youth  like  a  sword  thrust,  and  the 
color  left  his  face  as  he  recognized  Kasana's  voice. 

The  corpses  by  her  were  those  of  her  nurse  and  of 
Baie's  wife. 

Ephraim,  almost  beside  himself,  thrust  aside  the  men 
who  separated  him  from  the  victim  on  one  side  and 
hastened  towards  the  remains  of  the  chariot;  sprang  into 
the  sand  bank  at  the  foot  of  which  the  vehicle  was 
stranded,  and  cried,  with  burning  cheeks  and  impetuous 
passion  : 

"  Back  !  Woe  to  those  who  touch  her  !  " 

But  a  Hebrew  woman,  the  wife  of  a  brickmaker,  whose 
child  had  died  in  frightful  convulsions  on  the  journey 
through  the  sea,  had  already  snatched  the  dagger  from 
Kasana's  girdle  and  had  stabbed  her  in  the  back,  with 
the  cry  :  "  That's  for  my  little  Ruth  !     Wretch  !  " 

She  raised  the  bloody  poignard  for  a  second  blow;  but 
before  she  could  strike  her  enemy  again,  Ephraim  rushed 
between  them  and  wrenched  away  the  knife.  Then,  stand- 
ing in  front  of  the  hapless  creature,  he  shouted  in  loud 
menace  :  "  Murderers  and  thieves  !  If  one  of  you  dares 
to  touch  her,  his  blood  shall  mingle  with  that  of  this 
woman  !  "  With  these  words  he  fell  on  his  knees  by  the  side 
of  the  bleeding  victim,  and,  finding  that  she  had  lost  con- 
sciousness, he  lifted  her  in  his  arms,  and  carried  her  to 
Miriam. 

The  startled  plunderers  for  a  few  minutes  suffered  him 
to  do  as  he  would,  but  before  he  had  gained  his  end,  a  cry 
was  raised  of :  "  Vengeance,  vengeance  !  We  found  the 
woman,  and  the  body  is  ours  alone."  "  How  dare  the 
haughty  Ephraimite  call  us  robbers  and  murderers  ? " 
"  When  there  is  a  chance  of  shedding  Egyptian  blood,  it 
shall  flow  !  "  The  Lord  our  God  spares  not,  nor  do  we  ! " 
«  Seize  him  !  "     "  Seize  the  girl  ! " 

But  the  lad  paid  no  heed  to  this  outbreak  of  rage  till  Ka- 
sana's head  was  resting  on  Miriam's  bosom,  where  she  was 
sitting  on  a  sandnili  near  at  hand,  and  then,  as  the  angry 
crowd  rushed  uron  him,  the  women  outstripping  the  men,  he 
once  more  flourished  his  dagger,  crying  :  "  Back  !  Hold  off ! 
I  tell  you  once   more.     If   there   are   any  men   here   of 


JOSHUA.  197 

Ephraim  or  Judah,  let  them  come  to  my  side,  or  to  Miri- 
am's, the  wife  of  their  chief !  Well  done,  my  brethren,  and 
woe  to  him  who  lays  a  hand  on  me  !  Vengeance,  do  you 
say  ?  Are  you  not  avenged  by  that  hyaena  which  has 
murdered  this  poor  defenceless  creature  ?  Your  victim's 
jewels  ?  Well,  well ;  they  are  yours,  and  I  will  give  you 
my  own  into  the  bargain,  so  long  as  you  leave  the  wife  of 
Hur  free  to  care  for  the  dying  woman  !  " 

He  bent  over  Kasana,  took  from  her  person  all  she  had 
about  her  of  pins  or  rings,  and  placed  them  in  the  greedy 
hands  stretched  out  to  receive  them.  Then  he  took  the 
broad  gold  band  from  his  own  arm,  held  it  up,  and  cried : 
"  This  is  the  promised  ransom.  Go  back  quietly  and  leave 
this  woman  to  Miriam,  and  you  shall  have  it  to  share 
among  you.  If  you  insist  on  blood,  come  on — but  then, 
I  keep  the  bracelet !  " 

These  words  did  not  fail  in  their  effect.  The  angry 
women  looked  first  at  the  heavy,  broad  gold  band,  and 
then  at  the  splendid  youth,  and  the  men  of  Judah  and 
Ephraim  who  had  rallied  round  him  ;  and  then  gazed 
inquiringly  at  each  other.  At  last  the  wife  of  a  foreign 
trader  cried  out :  "  Give  us  the  gold,  and  we  will  leave 
the  wounded  darling  to  the  chiefs  son  !  " 

The  rest  agreed  to  this  decision,  although  the  furious 
brickmaker's  wife,  who  meant  to  have  done  a  deed  pleas- 
ing in  the  eyes  of  her  god  by  avenging  her  child,  and  had, 
in  consequence,  been  accused  as  a  murderess,  still  threat- 
ened Ephraim  with  frenzied  gestures  till  she  was  dragged 
away  to  the  shore  by  the  crowd  who  hoped  to  find  fresh 
booty  there. 

Through  all  the  tumult  Miriam,  without  a  qualm  of  fear, 
had  examined  and  bound  up  Kasana's  wounds  with  a  skill- 
ful hand.  The  dagger,  a  gift  in  jest  from  Prince  Siptah, 
that  his  fair  one  might  not  go  forth  to  battle  unarmed, 
had  inflicted  a  deep  stab  under  one  shoulder,  and  she  had 
lost  so  much  blood  that  the  feeble  flicker  of  life  seemed  to 
die  out  at  every  breath.  But  she  still  lived,  and  she  was 
carried  into  Nun's  tent,  as  being  the  nearest  at  hand. 

The  old  chief  had  just  been  giving  out  weapons  to  the 
herdsmen  and  youths  gathered  together  by  his  grandson 
to  go  forth  to  liberate  his  beloved  son,  and  had  promised 
himself  to  join  the  expedition,  when  the  melancholy  party 
reached   the  tent.      If  Kasana  had   admired   the   noble 


198  JOSHUA. 

old  man,  so  had  Hur  felt  very  kindly  towards  Hornecht's 
lovely  daughter  in  the  by-gone  years  at  Tanis.  They  had 
never  met  without  she  giving  him  some  pretty  greeting, 
and  he  would  reply  to  her  :  "  The  Lord  bless  thee,  child  1 " 
or,  "  A  happy  day  for  an  old  man  when  he  meets  so  sweet 
a  maid  !  "  Many  years  ago,  while  she  still  wore  the  curls 
of  a  very  young  girl,  he  had  even  given  her  a  lamb  with 
especially  silky,  snow-white  wool,  after  he  had  concluded 
a  bargain  with  her  father,  exchanging  some  corn  from 
Hornecht's  land  for  steers  of  his  own  famous  breed.  And 
all  his  son  had  ever  told  him  of  Kasana  had  tended  to  en- 
hance his  regard  for  her.  She  seemed  in  his  eyes  the  most 
lovable  of  all  the  maidens  of  Tanis,  and  if  she  had  been  the 
child  of  Hebrew  parents  it  would  have  rejoiced  him  to  see 
her  married  to  his  son. 

To  find  his  favorite  again  in  so  pitiable  a  plight  was  so 
great  a  grief  to  the  old  man  that  the  tears  ran  down  on  his 
snowy  beard,  and  his  voice  shook  when  he  saw  the  blood- 
stained bandage  about  her  shoulder.  When  she  was  laid 
on  his  couch,  and  Nun  had  placed  his  medicine  chest  at 
the  prophetess'  service,  Miriam  desired  the  men  to  leave 
her  alone  with  the  sufferer ;  and  when  she  called  them  back 
into  the  tent,  she  had  revived  Kasana  with  some  drug  and 
bound  her  wound  with  greater  care.  With  her  hair 
smoothly  arranged  and  the  blood  all  washed  away,  she  lay 
between  fresh  linen  sheets  like  a  sleeping  child,  hardly 
looking  as  if  she  had  attained  woman's  estate.  And  she 
still  breathed,  though  the  blood  had  not  returned  to  her 
lips  or  cheeks,  and  it  was  not  till  she  had  again  swallowed 
the  mixture  which  Miriam  had  prepared  for  her  that  she 
opened  her  eyes. 

At  the  foot  of  the  bed  stood  the  old  man  and  his  grand- 
son, and  each  would  fain  have  asked  the  other  how  it  came 
to  pass  that  be  could  not  refrain  his  tears  as  he  looked  into 
the  face  of  this  stranger. 

The  conviction  which  Ephraim  had  so  unexpectedly 
gained,  that  Kasana  was  base  and  false-hearted,  had  revolted 
him,  and  frightened  him  back  into  the  right  way  which  he 
had  left.  Nevertheless,  he  had  kept  all  he  had  overheard 
in  the  tent  locked  in  his  own  heart,  and  when  he  had  told 
his  grandfather  and  Miriam  that  Kasana  had  interceded 
kindly  for  the  prisoners,  and  both  had  desired  to  learn 
more  from  him,  he  had  felt  as  a  father  might  who  had 


JOSHUA.  I99 

witnessed  the  crime  of  a  beloved  son,  and  not  a  word  of 
the  horrors  he  had  heard  passed  his  lips.  Now,  he  was 
glad  he  had  kept  silence  :  for  in  spite  of  all  he  had  seen 
and  heard,  this  pure  and  lovely  creature  was  surely  incap- 
able of  anything  dishonorable. 

Old  Nun  had  never  ceased  to  think  of  her  as  the  sweet 
child  he  had  known  so  well,  the  apple  of  his  eye  and 
joy  of  his  heart.  He  looked  down  on  the  quivering  fea- 
tures with  tender  pity,  and  when  at  length  she  opened  her 
eyes,  he  smiled  at  her  with  fatherly  affection.  The  light 
in  her  eyes  showed  that  she,  too,  at  once  recognized  him 
and  Ephraim,  but  when  she  tried  to  nod  her  head  to  them 
she  was  too  weak.  Still,  her  expressive  face  confessed 
her  surprise  and  pleasure  ;  and  when  Miriam,  for  the 
third  time,  offered  her  the  draught,  and  moistened  her 
brow  with  some  strong  essence,  she  looked  from  one  to 
another  with  her  large  eyes,  and  seeing  their  curious  gaze 
she  was  able  to  say  in  a  low  voice  :  "  These  wounds  ache 

so,  and  death Shall  I  die  ?  "     They  glanced  inquiringly 

at  each  other,  and  the  men  would  very  gla'dly  have  con- 
cealed the  dreadful  truth,  but  she  went  on  :  "  Oh,  let  me 
know  ;  tell  me  the  truth,  I  pray    you  ! " 

And  Miriam,  who  was  kneeling  on  the  ground  by  her 
side,  found  courage  to  reply  :  "  Yes,  poor,  young  thing, 
the  wound  is  deep  ;  but  all  my  art  may  do  to  save  you 
shall  be  done,  to  preserve  your  life  as  long  as  possible." 

The  words  were  spoken  kindly  and  compassionately,  and 
yet  the  prophetess'  deep  voice  seemed  to  jar  on  Kasana's 
ear;  her  lips  curled  pitifully  while  Miriam  spoke,  and 
when  she  ceased  the  sufferer  closed  her  eyes  and  large 
tears  flowed  down  her  cheeks. 

Deep  and  anxious  silence  reigned  till  she  opened  her 
eyes  once  more,  and  fixing  them  sadly  on  Miriam's  face 
asked,  as  if  in  amazement  at  something  strange,  "  You,  a 
woman,  are  learned  in  the  leech's  art  ?  " 

To  which  Miriam  replied  :  "  My  God  hath  bidden  me  to 
care  for  the  sufferers  among  my  people." 

At  this  the  dying  woman's  eyes  sparkled  uneasily,  and 
she  exclaimed  in  a  stronger  voice,  indeed  with  a  vigor 
which  surprised  her  hearers  :  "  You  are  Miriam,  the 
woman  who  sent  for  Joshua  to  go  to  her ; "  and  when 
Miriam  replied  unhesitatingly  and  simply  :  "  As  you  say," 
Kasana  went  on :    "  And  you  are,  indeed,  of  great   and 


200  JOSHUA. 

majestic  beauty,  and  must  be  capable  of  great  things  ! 
He  obeyed  your  call,  and  you — you  could  nevertheless 
marry  another?" 

And  again  the  prophetess  answered,  but  in  a  gloomier 
tone  :  "  As  you  say." 

Then  the  dying  woman  closed  her  eyes  again,  and  a 
strange  covert  smile  parted  her  lips. 

But  this  was  not?  for  long ;  she  became  uneasy  and  rest- 
less. The  fingers  of  her  little  hands,  her  lips,  :ven  her 
eyebrows,  were  never  still,  and  her  smooth  narrow  brow 
was  furrowed  as  though  she  had  something  weighing  on 
her  brain.  At  length  the  trouble  which  disturbed  her 
peace  found  utterance,  and  she  said  in  quavering  accents  : 

"  You  are  Ephraim,  whom  he  loved  as  a  son,  and  you 
are  Nun,  the  old  man  his  father.     There  you  stand,  and 

you  will  live,  while  I Oh,  and  it  is  so  hard  to  leave  the 

light  of  day.     Anubis  will  lead  me  before  the  judgment 

seat  of  Osiris,  my  heart  will  be  weighed,  and   then " 

She  shuddered  violently,  opening  and  closing  her  trem- 
bling hands;  but  she  soon  recovered  herself,  and  began  to 
speak  once  more.  But  Miriam  positively  forbade  her  as 
it  must  hasten  the  end. 

At  this  Kasana  collected  all  her  strength  and  exclaimed 
quickly,  and  as  loudly  as  she  could,  glancing  at  Miriam 
from  top  to  toe  :  "  So  you  would  hinder  me  from  doing 
what  I  must  do  ?  You  !  "  There  was  an  accent  of  con- 
tempt in  her  tone  ;  but  she  no  doubt  felt  that  she  must 
husband  her  strength,  for  she  went  on  more  calmly,  and 
as  if  speaking  to  herself  :  "  But  I  cannot  depart  thus — 
not  thus  !  How  it  happened — why  I  did  it  all — I  must 
confess  ;  and  I  will  not  complain  if  only  he  may  know 
how  it  came  to  pass.  Oh,  Nun,  good  old  Nun,  who  gave 
me  a  lamb  when  I  was  yet  but  a  child — I  loved  it  so — 
and  you,  Ephraim,  my  boy,  I  will  tell  you  everything." 

A  painful  cough  here  checked  her  utterance  ;  as  soon 
as  she  had  recovered  her  breath  she  turned  to  Miriam 
again  and  went  on,  in  a  voice  so  full  of  bitter  aversion 
that  it  startled  those  who  knew  her  kindly  nature  :  "  It  is 
you — you,  tall  woman  with  a  man's  voice,  and  the  learning 
of  a  leech — you  who  beguiled  him  from  Tanis,  and  from 
me.  He  went  and  came  and  did  your  bidding.  And  you 
— you  became  another  man's  wife — it  must  have  been 
after  his  coming;   yes — for  when  Ephraim  brought  your 


JOSHUA.  201 

message  he  spoke  of  you  as  a  maiden.  Whether  it  was  a 
grief  to  Joshua  I  know  not.  But  another  thing  I  know, 
and  that  is  that  I  have  somewhat  to  confess  before  it  is  too 
late.  And  none  may  hear  it  but  those  who  love  him,  and 
I — do  you  hear  ? — I  love  him  more  than  all  else  on  earth  ! 
You  !  you  have  a  husband,  and  a  God  whose  bidding 
you  zealously  obey — as  you  yourself  have  said.  What  is 
Joshua  to  you  ?  I  beg  you  to  leave  us.  Very  few  have  I 
met  in  my  life  to  whom  I  could  not  feel  kindly,  but  you  I 
— I  cannot  love,  I  know  not  why, — and  if  you  remain  near 
me  I  cannot  speak — and  I  must — and  it  hurts  me  so  to 
speak  !  But  before  you  go — you  are  a  physician — tell  me 
one  thing :  I  have  so  many  things  to  say  to  him  before  I 
die — will  it  kill  me  if  I  speak  ?  " 

And  again  the  prophetess  found  no  reply  but  her  brief, 
"  As  you  say,"  and  her  tone  was  one  of  stern  warning. 

Hesitating  between  the  duty  she  owed  to  the  sufferer  as 
her  physician,  and  her  desire  not  to  contravene  the  wishes 
of  a  dying  creature,  she  glanced  at  old  Nun,  and  reading 
in  his  face  a  command  to  yield  to  Kasana's  wish  she  bent 
her  head  and  quitted  the  tent.  But  as  she  stood  outside 
the  poor  soul's  bitter  words  come  home  to  her,  and  spoilt 
the  day  that  had  begun  so  gloriously,  aye,  and  many  an 
hour  after  ;  and  to  the  last  she  could  never  explain  to  her- 
self how  it  was  that  in  the  presence  of  that  hapless,  dying 
woman  a  feeling  had  possessed  her  that  she  was  the 
smaller,  the  inferior  creature. 

As  soon  as  Kasana  found  herself  alone  with  the  grand- 
father and  grandson,  and  Ephraim  had  fallen  on  his  knees 
by  the  bedside,  while  the  old  man,  after  kissing  her  brow, 
stood  with  his  hoary  head  bent  to  hear  her  low  tones,  she 
began  again  : 

"  Now  I  am  easier.  That  tall  woman — her  knit  black 
brows — her  eyes  as  dark  as  night — they  are  fiery  indeed, 
and  yet  so  cold  .  .  .  that  woman  .  .  .  Did  Joshua  love  her, 
father?     Tell  me.     I  do  not  ask  out  of  idle  curiosity." 

"  He  honored  her,"  replied  the  old  man  in  some  trouble, 
"  as  do  all  our  people.  She  is  of  a  lofty  spirit,  and  our  God 
vouchsafes  to  her  to  hear  His  voice.  But  you,  sweet  one, 
were  dear  to  him  even  as  a  child  ;  that  I  know." 

A  slight  shudder  ran  through  her  frame.  For  a  short 
space  she  closed  her  eyes  and  a  blissful  smile  lighted  up 
her   face.     This    lasted  so  long   that   Nuil   thought    that 


202  .  JOSHUA. 

death  had  already  claimed  her,  and  he  leaned  over  her, 
listening  to  her  breathing,  with  the  draught  in  his  hand. 
She  did  not  seem  to  see  him  ;  but  when  at  last  she  looked 
up  again,  she  put  out  her  hand  for  the  cup,  drank  from  it, 
and  then  went  on  :  "  I  felt  as  though  he  were  there  before 
me — Joshua  himself.  He  wore  his  warrior's  dress,  as  he 
did  the  first  time  he  took  me  on  his  arm.  I  was  but  a 
little  child,  and  I  was  afraid  of  him  because  he  looked  so 
grave,  and  my  nurse  had  told  me  that  he  had  slain  many 
enemies.  But  I  was  happy  when  he  came,  and  when  he 
went  away  I  was  sad.  And  years  went  on,  and  my  love 
for  him  grew  as  I  grew.  My  young  heart  was  so  full  of 
him,  so  full  .  .  .  Yes,  even  when  I  was  compelled  to 
marry  another,  and  after  I  was  a  widow."  The  last  words 
were  scarcely  audible,  and  she  rested  a  while  before  she 
went  on  :  "  Joshua  knows  it  well — only  he  does  not  know 
how  anxious  I  was  when  he  was  in  the  field,  and  how  I 
longed  for  him  till  he  came  home  again.  At  last,  at  last, 
he  returned,  and  how  glad  I  was  to  see  him  once  more  ! 
But  he  himself!  That  woman — Ephraim  told  me — that 
tall,  proud  woman  bid  him  go  to  Pithom.  Yet  he  came 
back  from  thence,  and  then,  O  Nun.  That  was  hardest 
of  all  to  bear — he  refused  my  hand  when  my  father  offered 
it  That — ah,  how  it  hurt  me  !  I  can  no  more — give  me 
the  cup  again." 

Her  cheeks  had  colored  slightly  as  she  made  this  pain- 
ful confession  ;  and  the  old  man,  perceiving  how  quickly 
the  efforts  she  was  making  were  bringing  her  to  the  end, 
begged  her  to  be  silent.  But  she  insisted  on  making  use 
of  what  little  time  remained  to  her,  and  though  a  piercing 
pain  and  tormenting  short  cough  forced  her  to  press  her 
hand  to  her  bosom  she  went  on  : 

"  Then  I  hated  him  ;  but  not  for  long  ;  and  I  never 
loved  him  more  than  when  I  went  after  the  hapless 
prisoner — you  know,  boy.  And  then  came  the  dreadful, 
horrible  time,  the  shameful  things — but  he  must  know  it 
all  that  he  may  not  despise  me  if  he  ever  hears.  I  never 
knew  my  mother,  and  there  was  no  one  to  warn  me  .  .  . 
Where  shall  I  begin  ?  Prince  Siptah — you  know  him,  father 
— the  bad  man  who  will  soon  be  lord  over  Egypt.  My  father 
is  in  a  plot  with  him.     Great  gods  !  I  can  speak  no  more  !  " 

Terror  and  despair  were  painted  in  her  face  5  but 
Ephraim  broke  in   and  confessed  with  tearful   eyes  and  a 


JOSHUA.  203 

trembling  voice  ail  he  had  overheard  by  her  tent  that  night, 
and  she  confirmed  it  with  assenting  glances.  When  at 
last  he  spoke  of  the  high  priest  Baie's  wife,  whose  body 
had  been  thrown  up  on  the  strand  by  Kasana's  side,  she 
interrupted  him  in  a  low  voice,  saying,  "  She  devised  it  all. 
She  wanted  her  husband  to  be  supreme  in  the  land,  and 
govern  even  Pharaoh,  for  Siptah  is  no  king's  son." 

"  Aye,"  said  the  old  man,  only  anxious  to  stop  her 
speaking  and  to  help  her  to  tell  all  she  wished  to  make 
known,  "  and  as  Baie  raised  him  up,  so  can  he  overturn 
him.  He,  even  more  surely  than  his  predecessor,  will  be 
the  tool  of  the  man  who  has  made  him  king.  I  know 
Aarsu,  the  Syrian,  and,  if  I  am  not  deceived,  the  time  is 
coming  when  he  will  aim  at  seizing  the  reins  of  power  in 
Egypt,  torn  as  it  will  be  by  internal  divisions,  though  he 
and  his  mercenaries  have  so  far  helped  others  to  snatch 
them.  But  you,  child,  what  prompted  you  to  follow  the 
army  and  that  profligate  traitor  ?  " 

Kasana's  eyes  gleamed  more  brightly  again,  for  the 
question  led  directly  to  the  matter  of  which  she  desired  to 
speak,  and  she  replied  as  clearly  as  her  failing  strength  al- 
lowed, "  It  was  for  your  son's  sake — for  love  of  him — to 
procure  his  release.  Only  the  evening  before  I  had  re- 
fused positively  to  go  with  Baie's  wife.  But  when  I  had 
seen  Joshua  once  more  by  the  well,  and  he — ah,  he  was 
so  kind  at  last,  and  kissed  my  brow  !  And  I  saw  him  in 
misery — alas,  poor  heart !  I  saw  the  best  of  men  doomed 
to  perish  in  disgrace  and  sickness.  And  when  he  went 
onward  with  chains  on  his  feet  it  suddenly  struck  me." 

"  Then,  brave,  foolish,  misguided  child  that  you  are,  you 
determined  to  win  the  devotion  of  the  future  king  in  order 
to  secure  the  release  of  your  friend,  my  son  ?  " 

The  dying  woman  smiled  and  said  softly,  "  Yes,  yes ; 
for  that  and  that  alone.  And  I  loathed  the  prince.  And 
the  disgrace,  the  shame — horrible,  horrible  !  " 

"  So  it  was  for  my  son's  sake  that  you  endured  it  all," 
cried  the  old  man  interrupting  her,  and  her  hand  which  he 
pressed  to  his  lips  was  wet  with  his  tears,  while  she  turned 
to  Ephraim  and  sighed  :  "  And  I  thought  of  this  lad,  too. 
He  is  so  young  and  the  mines  so  terrible." 

Again  she  shuddered.  The  boy  covered  her  hand  with 
kisses  while  she  looked  tenderly  in  his  face  and  his  grand- 
father's, and  added  :  "  Now  all  is  well,  and  if  the  gods 
grant  him  freedom " 


204  JOSHUA. 

Here  Ephraim  broke  in,  "  We  are  setting  forth  this  very 
day  for  the  mines.  I  and  my  comrades  and  my  grand- 
father will  drive  his  keepers  to  the  four  winds " 

"  And  he  shall  learn  from  my  own  lips,"  said  Nun, 
"  how  truly  Kasana  loved  him,  and  his  whole  life  will  be 
too  short  to  thank  her  for  such  a  sacrifice." 

His  voice  failed  him.  But  every  trace  of  trouble  had 
vanished  from  the  dying  woman's  face,  and  she  lay  for 
some  time  gazing  upwards  in  silent  contentment.  But 
then,  by  degrees,  an  anxious  frown  came  on  her  brow,  and 
she  softly  gasped  out :  "It  is  well — yes,  all  is  well — but 
yet  one  thing.  My  body,  unembalmed — with  no  holy 
amulets " 

And  here  Nun  again  interrupted  her,  saying  :  "  As  soon 
as  we  have  closed  your  eyes  I  will  deliver  it,  safely 
wrapped,  to  the  Phoenician  seaman  who  is  close  at  hand, 
that  he  may  convey  it  to  your  father." 

She  tried  to  turn  her  head  to  thank  him  with  a  loving 
glance  ;  but  suddenly  she  clutched  at  her  throat  with  both 
hands,  dark  blood  rose  to  her  lips,  a  bright  flame  tinged 
her  cheeks  and  faded  to  dead  white,  and  after  a  short  and 
painful  struggle  she  sank  back.  Death  had  laid  his  hand 
on  the  loving  heart,  and  her  face  wore  the  look  of  a  child's 
whose  mother  has  forgiven  it  some  fault,  and  kissed  it 
before  it  fell  asleep. 

Nun  closed  her  eyes,  weeping  as  he  did  so  ;  Ephraim, 
deeply  moved,  kissed  the  drooping  lids  ;  and  after  a  few 
moments'  silence  the  old  man  said  :  "  I  trouble  myself 
very  little  about  the  life  beyond  the  grave,  of  which  even 
Moses  knows  nothing ;  but  one  who  lives  as  she  has  lived 
must  always  survive  in  the  faithful  memory  of  those  whom 
she  loved ;  and  she  has  done  her  part,  it  seems  to  me,  to 
attain  immortality.  We  will  dispose  of  her  body  according 
to  our  promise,  and  then  set  forth  to  prove  to  him  for 
whom  Kasana  gave  all  she  had  to  give,  that  we  love  him 
no  less  well  than  the  Egyptian  woman." 


JOSHUA.  205 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

The  prisoners  were  making  their  way  but  slowly  to  the 
mines.  Never  in  all  his  experience  had  the  leader  of  the 
gang  known  a  worse  journey  through  the  desert,  more 
luckless  in  every  way,  or  so  beset  with  mishaps  and  hin- 
drances. 

One  of  his  "  moles,"  Ephraim,  to  wit,  had  made  his 
escape ;  he  had  lost  one  of  his  faithful  hounds  ;  and  after 
his  gang  had  been  terrified  and  drenched  by  such  a  storm 
as  scarcely  befell  once  in  five  years  in  all  that  thirsty  tract, 
another  overtook  them  on  the  following  day — the  same  in 
which  Pharaoh  and  his  host  had  perished — even  more 
violent  and  persistent  than  the  first.  The  tempest  had 
stopped  their  march,  and  after  this  second  deluge  some  of 
his  prisoners  and  men  had  sickened  with  fever  from  sleeping 
on  the  wet  ground  in  the  open  air.  Even  the  Egyptian 
asses,  unaccustomed  to  the  rain,  had  suffered  from  the 
wetting,  and  the  best  had  been  left  to  die  on  the  way. 

At  last  they  had  been  compelled  to  bury  two  of  their 
comrades  in  the  sand,  and  three  more  were  so  ill  that  they 
must  be  mounted  on  the  asses  that  were  left ;  thus  the 
prisoners  were  forced  to  carry  the  provisions  with  which 
the  beasts  had  been  laden.  In  all  his  twenty-five  years' 
experience  such  a  thing  had  never  before  happened  to 
their  guide,  and  he  looked  forward  to  severe  reproof  at 
home. 

All  this  had  a  bad  effect  on  the  man's  temper,  though  he 
was  commonly  regarded  as  the  most  lenient  of  his  tribe,  and 
Joshua,  as  the  accomplice  of  the  audacious  rascal  whose 
escape  was  the  beginning  of  all  these  vexations,  was  the 
chief  victim  of  his  wrath.  Angry  as  he  was,  the  leader 
of  the  gang  might  perhaps  have  dealt  more  mercifully  with 
him  if  he  had  bewailed  his  lot  like  the  man  next  behind 
him,  or  cursed  as  loudly  as  his  companion  in  chains,  who 
spent  his  breath  in  threats  of  a  time  coming  when  his 
sister-in-law  would  be  in  attendance  on  Pharaoh,  and  she 
would  find  some  way  to  punish  the  man  who  had  ill-treated 
her  dear  sister's  husband. 


aob  JOSHUA. 

But  Joshua  had  made  made  up  his  mind  to  take  all  the 
rough  driver  and  his  men  could  do  to  him  with  as  cairn 
submission  as  the  scorching  sun  which  had  tortured  him 
many  a  time  ere  this  during  his  marches  across  the  desert, 
under  arms  ;  and  his  manly  spirit  and  strong  will  helped 
him  to  keep  this  resolution.  When  the  driver  loaded  him 
with  a  monstrous  burthen,  he  collected  all  the  strength  of 
his  powerful  muscles  and  tottered  forward  under  it  with- 
out a  rebellious  word  till  his  knees  gave  way  ;  and  then 
his  tyrant  would  fly  at  him,  snatch  a  few  bales  from  off  his 
shoulders,  and  declare  he  knew  all  the  wickedness  of  his 
heart,  and  that  all  he  hoped  for  was  that  he  might  have  to 
be  left  on  the  way  and  so  bring  his  driver  into  further 
trouble ;  but  he  would  not  let  his  prisoners  cheat  him  of 
their  lives  when  hands  were  needed  in  the  mines. 

Once  the  man  inflicted  a  deep  wound ;  but  he  was 
immediately  most  anxiously  careful  that  it  should  be 
healed  ;  gave  him  wine  to  strengthen  him,  and  delayed  the 
caravan  for  half  a  day  that  he  might  rest. 

He  had  not  forgotten  Prince  Siptah's  promise  of  a 
splendid  reward  to  the  man  who  should  bring  him  news  of 
his  prisoner's  death ;  but  he  was  an  honest  man,  and  it 
was  this  very  promise  which  prompted  him  to  watch  with 
special  care  over  Joshua's  life  ;  for  the  consciousness  of 
having  neglected  his  duty  for  any  personal  profit  would 
have  spoiled  his  appetite  for  meat,  drink  and  sleep,  the 
three  blessings  he  most  prized.  Hence,  though  the 
Hebrew  had  much  to  suffer,  it  was  not  beyond  endurance  ; 
and  it  was  a  real  pleasure  to  be  able  to  lighten  the  woes  of 
his  weaker  comrades  by  exerting  his  own  great  strength. 

He  had  resigned  his  fate  to  the  God  who  had  called  him 
to  serve  Him;  but  his  service,  he  knew,  was  something 
more  than  mere  pious  trust ;  and  day  and  night  his  mind 
was  set  on  flight.  But  the  fetters  which  linked  him  to  his 
fellow- victim  were  so  firmly  riveted,  and  so  carefully 
examined  and  hammered  night  and  morning,  that  any 
attempt  to  escape  must  only  have  ended  in  more  cruel 
misery. 

The  prisoners  were  conducted  first  across  a  hilly  country 
and  then  towards  a  long  range  of  mountains  lying  in  front 
of  them,  all  they  reached  a  desert  tract  where  weather- 
worn boulders  of  sandstone  stood  up  at  intervals  from  the 
rocky  ground. 


JOSHUA.  207 

On  the  fifth  evening  the  gang  stopped  to  rest  by  a  lofty- 
mountain  which  nature  seemed  to  have  piled  up  out  of  flat 
layers  of  stone  ;  and  at  sunrise,  on  the  sixth  morning,  they 
turned  off  down  a  valley  leading  to  the  mines. 

They  had  overtaken  no  one  since,  on  the  first  day,  they 
had  come  up  with  a  messenger  from  the  king's  treasury. 
They  had,  on  the  other  hand,  met  several  small  caravans, 
conveying  malachite,  turquoises  and  copper  to  Egypt,  as 
well  as  the  green  glass  manufactured  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  mines. 

Among  a  party  whom  they  met  at  the  opening  of  the 
gorge  into  which  they  diverged  on  this  last  day,  were  a 
married  couple,  on  their  way  homeward,  having  been 
pardoned  by  the  king.  The  driver  pointed  to  them,  to 
raise  the  spirits  of  his  exhausted  "  moles,"  but  the  sight  of 
them  had  quits  an  opposite  effect ;  for  the  man's  unkempt 
hair  was  already  grey,  though  he  was  hardly  past  thirty, 
his  tall  figure  bent  and  haggard,  and  his  bare  back  striped 
with  many  scars  and  clotted  blood,  while  his  wife,  who 
had  shared  his  fate,  had  gone  blind.  She  sat  huddled  on 
an  ass  in  the  brooding  melancholy  of  mania ;  and 
although  the  prison  gang,  as  they  marched  past,  loudly 
broke  the  silence  of  the  desert,  and  her  hearing  was  as 
sharp  as  ever,  she  paid  no  heed  to  them,  but  stared  un- 
moved into  vacancy. 

The  sight  of  these  hapless  wretches  held  up  his  own 
hideous  fate  as  clearly  as  a  mirror  before  Joshua's  eyes ; 
for  the  first  time  he  groaned  aloud,  and  clasped  his 
hands  over  his  face.  This  the  driver  noticed,  and  touched 
by  the  horror  of  a  man  whose  powers  of  endurance  had 
till  now  seemed  indomitable,  he  cried  to  him  :  "  But  they 
do  not  all  return  like  this  ;  no  indeed,  not  like  this  ! " 

"  Because  they  are  even  more  utterly  wretched,"  he 
thought  to  himself,  "  but  that  poor  fellow  need  not  know 
that.  Next  time  I  come  this  way  I  will  remember  to  ask 
for  Joshua,  for  I  shall  be  curious  to  know  what  will  become 
of  such  a  bull  of  a  man.  The  strongest  and  most  deter- 
mined often  are  the  quickest  to  perish." 

At  this  he  flourished  his  whip  over  the  heads  of  his  gang 
as  if  he  were  driving  a  team  of  horses,  without  touching 
them,  however.  Then  he  pointed  to  a  cloud  of  smoke 
rising  from  behind  a  wall  of  rock  on  the  right  hand 
and  said  • 


2o8  JOSHUA. 

"There  are  the  smelting  furnaces  !  We  shall  be  in  by 
mid-day.  There  is  no  lack  of  fires  here  to  cook  our  len- 
tils, and  a  bit  of  sheep's  flesh  into  the  bargain  ;  for  we  are 
keeping  the  kind  god's  birthday,  the  Son  of  Ra.  Long 
may  he  live  !     Hail  and  good  health  to  him  !" 

For  half  an  hour  longer  they  toiled  along  the  dry  bed  of 
a  torrent,  with  high  banks  on  each  side  ;  after  the  storm  a 
roaring  mountain  stream  had  rushed  down  this  gully  to 
the  lower  ground,  and  even  now  a  few  pools  were  exhaling 
their  moisture.  When  the  melancholy  train  had  made 
their  way  round  a  steep  shoulder  of  rock,  on  the  top  of 
which  stood  a  small  Egyptian  temple  to  Hathor  and  a  con- 
siderable number  of  grave-stones,  they  found  themselves 
close  to  a  bend  in  the  ravine  which  led  to  the  gorge  where 
the  mines  lay. 

Flags  were  waving  from  tall  masts  in  front  of  the  temple, 
in  honor  of  Pharaoh's  birthday  ;  and  when  presently  a 
noise  came  up  from  the  valley,  usually  so  silent,  of  shouts, 
ar>d  tumult,  and  clatter,  the  driver  expressed  his  opinion 
that  the  high  festival  was  being  kept  by  the  prisoners  with 
unwonted  jollity,  saying  so  to  the  other  guards  who  had 
paused  to  listen. 

So  they  moved  forward  without  delay  ;  but  no  man  held 
up  his  drooping  head,  for  the  noon-day  sun  was  so  relent- 
lessly cruel,  and  the  sides  of  the  ravine,  dazzling  with  the 
glare,  poured  down  such  fierce  heat,  that  it  seemed  as 
though  they  were  striving  to  outdo  the  smelting  furnaces. 

Though  so  near  their  journey's  end  the  wanderers  tot- 
tered forward  as  if  in  sleep,  and  one  alone  held  his  breath 
with  excitement.  As  a  war  horse  harnessed  to  a  plough 
arches  his  neck,  and  dilates  his  nostrils,  while  the  fire 
sparkles  in  his  eye,  so  had  Joshua  drawn  up  his  stooping 
form  in  spite  of  the  heavy  sack  across  his  shoulders,  and 
his  flashing  gaze  turned  to  the  spot  whence  the  uproar 
came  which  the  driver  supposed  to  be  loud  revelry.  But 
he,  Joshua,  knew  better.  He  could  never  mistake  the 
sounds  which  he  heard.  It  was  the  battle-cry  of  Egyptian 
troops,  the  trumpet  call  to  summon  them  to  arms,  the 
clatter  of  weapons  and  shouting  of  hostile  parties. 

Ready  at  once  for  swift  action,  he  addressed  his  comrade 
in  chains  and  whispered  his  commands  :  "  The  hour  of 
release  is  at  hand.  Keep  your  eyes  open,  but  follow  me 
blindly." 


JOSHUA.  2og 

At  this  the  other,  too,  was  greatly  excited,  and  no  sooner 
had  Joshua  looked  down  the  ravine  than  he  said  :  "  Now. 
Be  ready  !  " 

The  first  glance  into  the  little  gorge  had  revealed  to  him 
a  figure  standing  on  the  top  of  a  cliff,  and  a  noble  head 
framed  in  white  hair.  It  was  his  father.  He  would  have 
known  him  among  ten  thousand,  and  from  a  much  greater 
distance.  But  he  looked  away  from  that  beloved  face  for 
a  moment  to  glance  at  the  driver  of  the  gang  who  stood 
still,  startled  and  speechless  ;  and  then,  thinking  that  a 
mutiny  had  broken  out  among  the  state-prisoners,  with 
quick  presence  of  mind  he  cried  in  harsh  accents  to  his 
subordinates  : 

"  Get  behind  our  prisoners  and  kill  any  one  who  attempts 
to  escape."  But  hardly  had  the  men  done  his  bidding  and 
gone  to  the  rear,  when  Joshua  whispered  to  his  companion  : 
"  Now,  down  with  him  !  " 

With  these  words  the  Hebrew,  who,  with  his  fellow  cap- 
tive, was  at  the  head  of  the  file,  rushed  on  the  driver,  and 
Joshua  had  seized  his  right  arm  and  the  other  man  his  left, 
before  he  was  aware  of  it. 

He  was  a  stalwart  fellow,  and  rage  doubled  his  strength ; 
he  struggled  wildly  to  free  himself,  but  Joshua  and  his 
comrade  held  him  in  a  grip  of  iron. 

One  glance  had  been  enough  to  show  the  captive  war- 
rior which  way  he  must  go  to  reach  his  own  people.  It 
would  have  to  pass  a  small  force  of  Egyptian  bowmen  who 
were  shooting  their  arrows  at  the  Hebrews  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  ravine  ;  but  the  enemy  would  not  dare  to  turn 
on  them,  for  the  sturdy  form  of  the  slave  driver  served  to 
screen  them  both,  and  he  was  easily  recognizable  by  his 
dress  and  weapons.  "  Hold  up  the  chain  with  one  hand," 
said  Joshua  to  his  accomplice.  "  I  can  hold  our  living 
shield.  We  must  get  up  the  shoulder  of  the  hill  crab- 
fashion." 

His  companion  obeyed,  and  when  they  came  within 
arrow-shot  length  of  the  foe  they  held  their  prisoner  first 
on  one  side,  and  then,  walking  backwards,  between  them- 
selves and  the  Egyptians.  Thus  Joshua,  shouting  in  ring- 
ing tones  :  "  The  son  of  Nun  is  returning  to  his  father 
and  his  people  !  "  made  his  way,  step  by  step,  towards  the 
Hebrew  fighting  men. 

None  of  the  Egyptians  who  recognized  the  captain  of  the 


210  JOSHUA. 

prison-gang  had  dared  to  let  fly  a  shaft  at  the  escaped 
prisoners  ;  and  now,  from  the  top  of  the  slope  which  the 
fettered  couple  were  climbing  backwards,  Joshua  heard  his 
name  called  in  joyful  accents,  and  at  the  same  moment 
Ephraim  and  his  company  of  youthful  combatants  came 
flying  down  the  hill  to  meet  him. 

To  his  astonishment  the  warrior  saw  in  the  hands  of 
every  son  of  his  people  a  large  shield  as  of  an  Egyptian 
foot-soldier,  a  sword,  or  a  battle-axe.  But  many  still  wore 
at  their  girdles  the  herdsman's  sling  and  bag  of  pebbles. 

Ephraim  was  their  leader,  and  before  he  greeted  his 
uncle,  he  ranged  his  men  in  two  ranks  like  a  double  wall 
between  Joshua  and  the  enemy's  archers.  Not  till  then 
did  he  give  utterance  to  the  joy  of  meeting  ;  and  another 
glad  greeting  followed  his,  for  old  Nun  was  safely  led  to 
the  wall  of  rock  under  cover  of  those  large  Egyptian 
shields  which  the  sea  had  cast  on  shore ;  and  then,  under 
shelter  of  the  cliff,  strong  hands  filed  off  the  fetters  which 
bound  Joshua  and  his  comrade,  while  Ephraim,  aided 
by  a  few  others,  bound  the  driver  captive.  The  unfortu- 
nate officer  had  given  up  all  resistance  and  let  them  do 
what  they  would,  passively  resigned.  Before  they  tied  his 
hands  behind  his  back,  he  only  begged  to  be  allowed  to 
wipe  his  eyes,  for  the  tears  were  coursing  each  other  down 
the  stern  man's  cheeks  and  on  to  his  grey  beard  ;  tears  of 
vexation  at  finding  himself  outwitted  and  overpowered, 
and  unable  to  fulfill  his  duty. 

The  old  Hebrew  clasped  his  redeemed  and  only  son  to 
his  heart  with  passionate  affection.  Then,  releasing  him 
from  his  embrace,  he  stepped  back  a  few  paces,  and  would 
never  have  tired  of  feasting  his  eyes  on  Joshua,  and  of 
hearing  that,  faithful  to  his  God,  he  would  henceforth 
devote  himself  to  the  service  of  his  people. 

But  it  was  not  for  long  that  they  might  allow  themselves 
to  revel  in  the  joy  of  this  happy  meeting  ;  the  battle  was 
still  to  be  won,  and  Nun,  as  a  matter  of  course,  transferred 
his  command  to  Joshua. 

With  thankful  gladness,  and  yet  not  without  a  pang  of 
regret,  Joshua  heard  of  the  end  which  had  overtaken  the 
fine  army  among  whose  captains  he  had  long  been  proud 
to  reckon  himself;  and  he  rejoiced  to  learn  that  another 
company  of  armed  shepherds  had  gone  under  the  leader- 
ship of  Hur,  Miriam's  husband,  to  surprise  the  turquoise 


Joshua.  211 

mines  at  Dophka,  at  about  an  hour's  march  further  to  the 
south.  If  they  were  victorious  they  were  to  rejoin  the 
young  men  under  Ephraim  before  sundown. 

These  ardent  spirits  were  burning  to  fall  upon  the  Egyp- 
tians once  more  ;  Joshua,  who  was  prudent,  and  who  had 
reconnoitred  the  foe,  had,  indeed,  no  doubt  that  they 
would  succumb  to  the  fierce  herdsmen  who  far  out- 
numbered them.  But  he  was  anxious  to  avoid  bloodshed 
in  this  fight  which  was  being  waged  for  his  sake,  so  he 
desired  Ephraim  to  cut  him  a  plumy  leaf  from  the  nearest 
palmtree,  borrowed  a  shield,  and  went  forward  alone  to 
speak  with  the  enemy,  waving  his  symbol  of  peace.  The 
chief  body  of  the  Egyptians  were  guarding  the  entrance  to 
the  mines,  and,  recognizing  the  token  which  invited  a  parley, 
they  desired  their  captain  to  meet  Joshua.  This  officer 
was  nothing  loth  to  grant  the  Hebrew  an  interview,  but  he 
would  first  make  himself  acquainted  with  the  contents  of  a 
letter  which  had  just  been  delivered  to  him,  and  which 
must  contain  evil  tidings,  for  that  much  could  be  gathered 
from  the  messenger's  demeanor,  and  from  a  few  broken 
but  ominous  words  which  he  had  murmured  to  his  fellow 
Egyptians. 

While  some  of  Pharaoh's  soldiers  fetched  refreshment 
for  the  exhausted  and  travel-stained  runner,  listening  with 
horror  to  the  tidings  he  panted  out  in  hoarse  accents,  the 
officer  read  the  letter. 

His  brow  darkened,  and  when  he  had  ended  he  clutched 
the  papyrus  fiercely  in  his  hand,  for  it  announced  nothing 
less  than  the  destruction  of  the  army,  the  death  of  Pha- 
raoh Menephtah,  and,  moreover,  that  his  eldest  surviving 
son  had  been  proclaimed  and  crowned  as  Seti  the  second ; 
an  attempt  on  the  part  of  Prince  Siptah  to  possess 
himself  of  the  throne  having  completely  failed,  this  prince 
had  fled  to  the  marsh-lands  of  the  Delta,  and  the  Syrian, 
Aarsu,  after  deserting  him  and  ranging  himself  on  the  side 
of  the  new  king,  had  been  raised  to  the  command  of  the 
whole  army  of  mercenaries.  Baie,  the  high  priest  and 
supreme  judge,  had  been  deprived  of  his  offices  by  Seti  II., 
and  banished  from  court.  Those  who  had  conspired  with 
Siptah  were  condemned,  not  to  the  copper  mines,  but  to 
the  gold  mines  of  Ethiopia.  It  was  also  reported  that 
several  women  attached  to  the  family  of  the  fugitive 
usurper  had  been  strangled,  certainly  his  mother.      Every 


212  yosiWA. 

fighting-mall  who  could  be  spared  from  the  mines  was  tc 
return  forthwith  to  Tanis,  as  there  was  need  of  men  foi 
the  newly-constituted  legions. 

These  tidings  produced  a  great  effect ;  for,  after  Joshua 
had  communicated  to  the  Egyptian  captain  the  fact  that 
he,  too,  knew  of  the  destruction  of  the  Egyptian  host,  and 
<.'\pected  fresh  reinforcements  in  a  few  hours,  who  had, 
meanwhile,  been  sent  to  reduce  Dophka,  the  Egyptian 
surrendered  to  his  imperious  tone,  and  only  sought  favor- 
able terms  and  leave  to  depart.  He  knew  only  too  well 
how  weak  was  the  forces  in  charge  of  the  turquoise  mines, 
and  he  could  look  for  no  succor  from  head-quarters. 
Besides  this,  the  person  of  the  envoy  captivated  his  con- 
fidence, so,  after  many  excuses  and  threats,  he  confessed 
himself  satisfied  with  Joshua's  permission  to  withdraw 
the  garrison  unharmed,  with  their  beasts  of  burthen  and  pro- 
visions for  the  journey.  This,  to  be  sure,  was  not  to  be 
granted  till  they  had  laid  down  their  arms  and  shown  the 
Hebrews  every  entrance  to  the  mines  where  prisoners 
were  working. 

The  young  Hebrews  proceeded  forthwith  to  disarm 
the  Egyptians,  who  were  more  than  twice  their  number, 
and  many  a  veteran's  eye  was  moist,  while  many  an  one 
broke  his  spear  or  nicked  his  arrows,  cursing  and  swearing 
the  while ;  and  some  of  the  older  men  who  had  formerly 
served  under  Joshua,  and  now  recognized  him,  raised  their 
fists  and  railed  at  him  for  a  traitor. 

It  was  always  the  refuse  of  the  troops  which  was  sent  on 
service  in  this  wilderness  ;  most  of  the  men  were  stamped 
with  traces  of  evil  living,  and  their  faces  were  hard  and 
cruel.  On  the  banks  of  the  Nile,  those  were  carefully 
chosen  who  made  ruthless  brutality  to  the  helpless  their 
duty. 

At  last  the  mines  were  opened,  and  Joshua  himselt  seized 
the  miner's  lamp  and  made  his  way  into  the  sweltering 
galleries  where  the  state  prisoners,  naked  and  loaded  with 
fetters,  were  hewing  out  the  copper  ore.  From  a  distance 
he  could  hear  the  swallow-tailed  picks  hacking  at  the  hard 
rock.  Then  the  miserable  wailing  of  men  and  women  in 
torment  fell  on  his  ear,  for  barbarous  drivers  pursued 
them  into  these  depths  and  goaded  the  idlers  to  bestir 
themselves. 

This  morning,  as  being  Pharaoh's  birthday,  they  had  all 


JOSHUA.  213 

been  driven  to  the  temple  of  Hathor,  up  on  the  cliff,  to 
pray  for  the  king  who  had  cast  them  into  this  uttermost 
wretchedness ;  and  they  would  have  enjoyed  a  respite 
from  labor  till  next  morning  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  un- 
expected arrival  of  the  chief  overseer  which  had  compelled 
them  to  return  underground.  Indeed,  even  the  women 
were  all  employed  in  digging,  though,  as  a  rule,  their  tasks 
consisted  only  in  crushing  and  sifting  the  ore  which  was 
used  in  the  manufacture  of  glass  and  of  dye  stuffs. 

When  the  victims  heard  Joshua's  footstep  echoing  from 
the  bare  rock-wall,  they  feared  lest  some  new  torment 
should  be  coming  upon  them,  and  their  cries  and  lamen- 
tations were  heard  on  all  sides.  But  the  deliverer  had 
soon  reached  the  first  of  the  toilers,  and  the  glad  tidings, 
that  he  had  come  to  put  an  end  to  their  wretched  lot,  were 
soon  repeated  to  the  furthest  depths  of  the  caverns.  Wild 
shouts  of  joy  filled  the  galleries  long  used  to  wailing  and 
tears  ;  but  loud  cries  for  help,  gasping,  groaning  and  a 
death-rattle  also  fell  on  Joshua's  ear,  for  one  hot-headed 
victim  had  turned  on  the  driver  of  his  gang  and  killed  him 
with  a  blow  of  his  pick.  His  example  fired  the  vengeance 
of  the  others,  and  before  they  could  be  stopped  the  rest  of 
the  overseers  had  met  the  same  fate.  Not  without  defend- 
ing themselves,  however,  and  many  a  prisoner  lay  dead  by 
the  corpse  of  his  tormentors. 

In  obedience  to  Joshua's  call  the  liberated  throng  at 
length  made  their  way  out  to  the  light  of  day.  Wild  and 
harsh  indeed  were  their  shouts,  mingling  with  the  clatter 
of  the  chains  they  dragged  behind  them.  And  the  most 
hard-hearted  among  the  Hebrews,  when  they  saw  this 
troop  of  despairing  wretches  in  the  broad  sunshine,  shrank 
from  the  sight.  Many  of  these  hapless  creatures  had,  in 
former  times,  enjoyed  every  earthly  blessing  in  their  own 
homes,  or  in  the  king's  palace  ;  had  been  loving  fathers 
and  mothers  ;  had  rejoiced  in  their  power  for  good,  and 
had  had  their  part  in  all  the  fruits  which  culture  could 
bestow  on  a  gifted  people  ;  and  now  their  weak  and  blood- 
shot eyes,  though  they  glittered  at  first  with  the  tears 
brought  into  them  by  the  sudden  change  from  the  night  of 
the  caverns  to  the  glare  of  the  mid-day  sun,  presently 
flashed  with  a  wild  and  greedy  gleam  like  those  of  starving 
owls. 

In  their  first  bewilderment   and    consternation  at  the 


214  JOSHUA. 

amazing  change  in  their  fortunes  they  tremulously  struggled 
for  composure,  and  suffered  the  Hebrews,  at  Joshua's 
bidding,  to  file  off  the  fetters  from  their  ankles  ;  but  they 
soon  caught  sight  of  the  disarmed  soldiers  and  overseers, 
who  were  ranged  under  a  wall  of  rock  under  the  eye  of 
Ephraim  and  his  followers,  and  a  strange  impulse  came 
over  them.  With  a  yell  and  a  shriek  for  which  there  is  no 
name,  and  which  no  words  could  describe,  they  tore  them- 
selves away  from  the  men  who  were  trying  to  remove  their 
chains,  and  without  a  word  or  a  sign  of  mutual  agreement, 
rushed  with  a  common  instinct,  heedless  of  their  metal 
bonds,  on  the  helpless  wretches.  Before  the  Hebrews 
could  stay  them  each  fell  on  the  one  who  had  treated  him 
most  cruelly  ;  and  here  a  famished  creature  gripped  the  foe 
who  had  been  his  master  by  the  throat,  while  there  a  herd  of 
women,  stripped  of  all  clothing  and  horribly  disfigured  by 
want  and  neglect,  flew  at  the  man  who  had  most  brutally 
insulted,  beaten  and  injured  them,  and  wreaked  their  long- 
repressed  fury  with  tooth  and  nail.  It  was  as  though  a 
sudden  flood  of  hatred  had  broken  down  the  dam  and  was 
ravening  unchecked  for  its  prey. 

There  was  a  frantic  attack  and  defense,  a  fearful  and 
bloody  struggle  on  the  shifting  red  sandy  soil,  an  ear- 
splitting  chorus  of  shrieks,  wailing  and  yells  ;  indeed  it 
was  hard  to  distinguish  anything  in  the  revolting  medley 
of  men  and  women,  which  became  more  and  more  inex- 
tricably tangled  as  it  was  aggravated  on  one  side  by  the 
wildest  passions  and  a  desire  for  revenge  which  was  sheer 
blood-thirstiness,  and  on  the  other  by  the  dread  of  death 
and  strenuous  instinct  of  self-defense. 

Only  a  few  of  the  prisoners  had  held  back,  and  even 
they  shrieked  encouragement  to  the  rest,  reviled  the  enemy 
with  excited  vehemence,  and  shook  their  fists.  The  rage 
with  which  the  released  victims  now  fell  on  their  tormentors 
was  as  unmeasured  as  the  cruelty  under  which  they  had 
suffered. 

But  it  was  Joshua  who  had  disarmed  the  tyrants  ;  the}' 
were  therefore  under  his  protection.  He  ordered  his  men 
to  separate  the  combatants,  and  if  possible  without  blood- 
shed ;  this  was  no  easy  matter,  and  many  a  fresh  deed  of 
horror  was  inevitable.  At  last  it  was  done,  and  now  it 
could  be  seen  how  strangely  passion  had  lent  strength  to 
the  most  exhausted  and  wretched,  for,  though  no  weapons 


JOSHUA.  215 

had  been  used  in  the  struggle,  not  a  few  corpses  lay  on  the 
arena,  and  most  of  the  guard l1  and  overseers  were  bleeding 
from  ugly  wounds. 

When  peace  once  more  reigned,  Joshua  demanded  of  the 
captain  of  the  little  garrison  a  list  of  the  prisoners  in  the 
mines  ;  but  he  himself  was  wounded,  and  pointed  to  the 
clerk  of  the  works  who  had  not  been  laid  hands  on.  He 
who  had  been  their  leech  in  case  of  need,  and  had  always 
treated  them  kindly,  was  a  man  of  some  age  who  had 
known  sorrow  himself,  and  knowing  what  suffering  means 
had  always  been  ready  to  alleviate  it  in  others. 

He  very  willingly  read  out  the  names  of  the  captives, 
among  whom  were  several  Hebrews,  and  after  each  had 
answered  to  the  call,  most  of  them  expressed  themselves 
ready  to  go  with  the  departing  tribes. 

When  at  length  the  disarmed  soldiers  and  guards  set 
forth  on  their  homeward  way,  the  driver  who  had  brought 
Joshua  and  his  fellow-prisoners  to  the  mines  went  up  to 
old  Nun  and  his  son  with  a  crestfallen  air,  and  begged  to 
be  allowed  to  remain  with  them  ;  for  no  good  could  be  in 
store  for  him  at  home,  and  in  all  Egypt  there  was  no  god 
so  mighty  as  their  God.  He  had  not  failed  to  observe 
that  Joshua,  who  had  himself  once  been  the  captain  of 
thousands,  had  ever  in  the  greatest  straits  uplifted  his 
hands  to  that  God,  and  such  fortitude  as  the  Hebrew  had 
shown  he  had  never  before  seen.  Now,  indeed,  he  saw  and 
knew  that  thSt  mighty  God  had  overwhelmed  Pharaoh  and 
his  host  in  the  sea  in  order  to  save  His  people.  Such  a 
God  was  after  his  own  heart,  and  he  desirecfnothing  better 
henceforth  than  to  abide  with  those  who  served  Him. 

Joshua  gladly  consented  to  his  joining  himself  to  them, 
and  it  was  found  that  there  were  fifteen  Hebrew  prisoners, 
among  them,  to  Ephraim's  great  joy,  Reuben,  the  husband 
of  Miriam's  devoted  and  heart-broken  ally,  Milcah.  His 
reserved  and  taciturn  manner  had  stood  him  in  good 
stead,  and  the  hardships  he  had  endured  seemed  to  have 
had  little  effect  on  his  strong  frame. 

A  triumphant  sense  of  victory  and  the  joy  of  success  had 
come  over  Ephraim  and  his  youthful  army ;  but  when  the 
sun  had  set,  and  no  sign  yet  appeared  of  Hur  and  his 
followers,  Nun  began  to  feel  some  alarm.  Ephraim  had 
just  declared  his  intention  of  sallying  forth  with  some  of  his 
comrades  in  search  of  tidings,  when  a  messenger  arrived 


ai6  JOSHUA. 

announcing  that  Hur's  fighting-men  had  lost  courage  on 
beholding  the  efficient  defense  of  the  Egyptian  stronghold. 
Their  leader  had  vainly  urged  them  to  storm  it ;  they  had 
shrunk  from  the  venture,  and  if  Nun  could  not  go  to  their 
support  they  must  retire  ingloriously. 

It  was  at  once  determined  to  succor  the  timorous  troop. 
The  Hebrews  set  forth  in  high  spirits,  and  on  their  march 
through  the  refreshing  night  Ephraim  and  Nun  related  to 
Joshua  how  Kasana  had  been  found  and  had  died.  All 
she  had  desired  them  to  tell  the  man  she  loved  they  now 
made  known  to  him,  and  it  was  with  deep  emotion  that  the 
soldier  heard  it  all,  marching  on  in  silent  thought  till  they 
reached  Dophka,  the  valley  of  the  turquoise  mines,  in  the 
midst  of  which  towered  the  fortress,  surrounded  by  the 
huts  of  the  captive  miners. 

Hur  and  his  men  remained  in  ambush  in  an  adjoining 
valley,  and  when  Joshua  had  told  off  all  the  Hebrew  force 
into  several  divisions,  assigning  a  task  to  each,  at  day- 
break he  gave  the  signal  for  the  onslaught.  The  little 
garrison  was  overpowered  after  a  short  struggle,  and  the 
fortress  seized.  The  Egyptians  were  disarmed,  as  those 
at  the  copper  mines  had  been,  and  sent  homewards.  The 
prisoners  were  released,  and  the  lepers,  whose  encamp- 
ment was  in  another  valley  beyond  the  mines — and  among 
them  those  who  had  been  sent  hither  by  Joshua's  desire — 
were  permitted  to  follow  the  conquerors  at  a  fixed  distance. 

Joshua  had  succeeded  where  Hur  had  failed,  and  before 
the  younger  men  departed  with  Ephraim,  their  leader,  old 
Nun  called  them  together,  and  with  them  returned  thanks  to 
the  Lord.  Those  likewise  who  were  under  Hur's  command 
joined  in  the  thanksgiving,  and  when  Joshua  presently 
appeared  Ephraim  and  his  comrade  hailed  him  with  loud 
acclamations. 

"  Hail  to  our  captain  !  "  was  shouted  again  and  again  as 
they  went  on  their  further  way.  "  Hail  to  him  whom  the 
Lord  hath  chosen  to  be  His  sword  !  Him  will  we  follow  and 
obey ;  through  him  our  God  shall  give  us  the  victory  !  " 

Hur's  followers  also  joined  in  the  cry,  nor  did  he  forbid 
them ;  nay,  he  had  thanked  Joshua  for  storming  the 
stronghold,  and  expressed  his  gladness  at  seeing  him  free 
once  more. 

When  they  set  forth,  Joshua,  as  the  younger,  drew  back 
to  let  the  elder  man  take  the  lead ;  but  Hur  had  begged 


JOSHUA.  21  j 

Nun,  who  was  much  older  than  himself,  to  march  at  the 
head  of  the  little  host,  although,  after  the  escape  of  the 
people  on  the  shore  of  the  Red  Sea,  he  had  been  named  the 
chief  captain  of  the  Hebrew  fighting-men  by  Moses  and  the 
elders  of  the  tribes. 

Their  way  led  them  first  through  a  level  valley.  Then  they 
mounted  and  crossed  a  pass  over  the  ridge,  this  being  the 
only  road  by  which  there  was  any  communication  between 
the  mines  and  the  Red  Sea.  The  rocky  scene  was  wild  and 
desolate,  the  path  steep  and  hard  to  climb.  Joshua's 
aged  father,  who  had  spent  his  life  in  the  plains  of  Goshen 
and  was  unaccustomed  to  mountain-walking,  was  carried 
by  his  son  and  grandson  amid  much  glad  shouting  from 
the  others ;  and  Miriam's  husband,  who  led  his  men  in  the 
rear  of  Ephraim's  troop  of  comrades,  as  he  heard  their  joy- 
ful cry  climbed  after  them  with  a  bowed  head  and  eyes 
fixed  gloomily  on  the  ground. 

At  the  top  they  were  to  rest,  waiting  for  the  main  body 
of  the  Israelites  who  were  to  be  led  through  the  desert  of 
Sin  towards  Dophka. 

From  the  top  of  the  pass  the  victorious  troop  looked  out 
for  the  wandering  tribes,  but  as  yet  nothing  could  be  seen 
of  them.  But  as  they  gazed  back  on  the  mountain  path  by 
which  they  had  come,  the  scene  was  so  grand  and  beautiful 
that  it  attracted  every  eye.  At  their  feet  lay  a  cauldron- 
shaped  valley  enclosed  by  high  precipices,  ravines,  peaks 
and  pinnacles,  here  white  like  chalk,  there  raven-black, 
grey  and  brown,  red  and  green,  growing  as  it  were  from 
the  sandy  base  and  pointing  to  the  deep-blue  heaven,  the 
vault  of  dazzling  light  that  bent  over  the  desert  unfiecked 
by  a  cloud. 

All  was  barren,  desolate,  silent,  dead.  Not  a  bladc5 
not  the  humblest  growth  clung  to  the  sides  of  the  many° 
colored  cliffs  which  shut  in  the  sandy  abyss.  No  bird,  no 
worm  nor  beetle  even  stirred  in  this  still  region  hostile  to 
life.  The  eye  could  nowhere  see  anything  to  suggest 
human  existence,  or  the  tilth  and  handiwork  of  man.  God, 
it  seemed,  had  created  this  grand  scene,  unfit  for  any 
earthly  being,  for  Himself  alone.  The  man  who  made  his 
way  into  these  wilds  trod  a  spot  which  the  Most  High 
might  have  chosen  for  retreat  and  rest,  like  the  silent  and 
unapproachable  inner  sanctuary  of  the  temple. 

The  younger  men  had  gazed  speechless  on  the  wondrous 


218  JOSHUA. 

picture  at  their  feet.  Then  they  lay  down  on  the  ground, 
or  did  their  best  to  be  serviceable  to  old  Nun,  who  loved 
the  companionship  of  the  young.  He  was  soon  reclining 
in  their  midst  under  a  hastily  contrived  awning,  and 
relating  with  sparkling  eyes  his  son's  achievements  as 
captain  of  the  Egyptians. 

Joshua  and  Hur,  meanwhile,  were  standing  together  on 
the  highest  point  of  the  pass  and  gazing  down  into  the 
desolate  valley  of  rocks,  which,  surrounded  by  columns 
and  pillars  of  God's  own  hewing,  and  vaulted  over  by  the 
blue  dome  of  heaven,  appeared  to  each  as  the  most 
stupendous  of  temples. 

The  elder  kept  his  eyes  fixed  gloomily  on  the  ground ; 
but  suddenly  he  broke  the  silence,  saying  :  "  It  was  at 
Succoth  that  I  built  an  heap  and  cried  upon  the  Lord  to 
be  witness  between  us  two.  But  in  this  place,  and  in  this 
stillness,  it  seems  to  me  that  we  are  certain  of  His  Presence 
without  sign  or  token."  He  raised  his  face  to  heaven  and 
went  on  :  "  And  I  lift  up  mine  eyes  to  Thee,  Adonai  j  I 
send  up  my  humble  words  to  thee,  O  Jehovah,  Thou  God 
of  Abraham  and  our  fathers,  that  Thou  mayest  again  be 
witness  between  me  and  this  man  whom  Thou  calledst  to 
be  Thy  servant  and  the  sword  in  Thy  right  hand  !  " 

He  spoke  the  words  loudly,  with  eyes  and  hands  up- 
raised to  Heaven.  Then  he  turned  to  his  companion  and 
said  with  solemn  gravity  : 

"And  I  ask  thee,  Joshua,  son  of  Nun,  dost  thou 
remember  the  witness  borne  by  thee  and  me  by  the  stone 
at  Succoth  ?  " 

"  I  do  remember  it,"  was  the  answer.  "  And  in  bitter 
ill-fortune  and  great  dangers  I  have  learnt  what  the  Most 
High  requires  of  me.  I  am  ready  to  devote  such  strength 
of  soul  and  body  as  He  hath  vouchsafed  to  me  to  Him 
alone,  and  to  His  people,  which  is  my  people.  Joshua, 
henceforth,  be  my  name.  I  ask  no  further  help,  neither 
from  the  Egyptians  nor  from  any  other  strange  folk,  for  it 
was  the  Lord  our  God  who  gave  me  this  name  by  the 
mouth  of  thy  wife." 

Hereupon  Hur  broke  in  with  earnest  words  : 

"  This  is  what  I  looked  to  hear ;  and  inasmuch  as  in  this 
place  also  the  Most  High  is  a  witness  between  me  and  thee, 
and  heareth  our  present  speech  together  here,  lo,  I  fulfill 
that  which  I  have  vowed.     The  elders  of  the  tribes,  and 


JOSHUA.  2I9 

Moses,  the  servant  of  the  Lord,  called  me  to  be  chief 
captain  over  the  fighting-men  of  Israel.  But  now  thou 
art  Joshua,  and  hast  sworn  to  serve  none  other  but  the 
Lord  our  God.  Likewise  I  know  that,  as  the  captain  of 
our  host,  thou  canst  do  greater  things  than  I,  who  have 
grown  grey  tending  herds,  or  than  any  other  Hebrew,  be  he 
who  he  may  ;  therefore  do  I  perform  my  vow  made  at  Suc- 
coth.  I  will  require  of  Moses,  the  servant  of  the  Lord,  and 
of  the  elders  of  the  people,  that  they  give  thee  the  office  of 
captain  of  the  host.  I  leave  the  governance  in  thy  hands  ; 
and  inasmuch  as  I  know  that  the  Lord  readeth  the  heart,  _ 
I  hereby  confess  that  I  had  evil  thoughts  of  thee  in  mine. 
But  for  the  good  of  the  people  I  will  forget  all  strife  between 
us,  and  I  give  thee  my  right  hand  in  token  thereof  !  "  He 
held  out  his  hand  as  he  spoke,  and  Joshua  grasped  it,  re- 
plying with  generous  frankness  : 

"  These  are  the  words  of  a  man,  and  so  likewise  shall 
mine  be.  For  the  people's  sake,  and  the  cause  we  both 
serve,  I  accept  the  offered  sacrifice.  And  inasmuch  as 
you  solemnly  called  the  Lord  to  witness,  who  likewise 
heareth  me,  I  will  speak  the  truth  in  everything.  The 
office  of  captain  of  the  host  of  Israel  which  you  will  lay 
upon  me,  I  was  called  to  by  the  Lord  Himself.  The  call 
came  to  me  by  the  mouth  of  Miriam,  your  wife,  and  mine 
it  is  by  right.  Yet,  that  you  should  be  willing  to  yield 
your  own  dignity  to  me,  I  take  as  a  noble  deed  ;  for  I  know 
full  well  how  hard  it  is  for  a  man  to  resign  power,  more 
especially  in  favor  of  a  younger  man  who  is  not  dear  to  his 
heart.  This  you  have  done,  and  I  thank  you.  And  I,  too, 
have  had  evil  thoughts  of  you,  for  through  you  I  lost  an- 
other blessing  which  a  man  finds  it  harder  to  give  up  than 
his  office — the  love  of  a  woman." 

Hereupon  the  blood  mounted  to  Hur's  face,  and  he 
exclaimed  :  {1  Miriam  !  I  never  forced  her  to  marry  me. 
Nay,  without  my  paying  for  her  even,  after  the  manner  of 
our  fathers,  she  became  my  wife  of  her  own  free  will." 

"  I  know  it,"  replied  Joshua  calmly.  "  Still,  another 
than  you  had  loved  and  wooed  her  longer  and  more  fer- 
vently, and  the  fires  of  jealousy  burn  fiercely.  But  have 
no  fears.  If  you  were  now  to  get  a  bill  of  divorce  and 
bring  her  to  me,  that  I  should  open  my  arms  and  tent  to 
her,  I  should  say  :  '  Wherefor,  have  you  done  this  thing  to 
yourself  and  to  me  ? '     For  I  have  just  now  learnt  what  the 


220  JOSHUA. 

love  of  a  woman  is  and  can  do,  and  I  was  mistaken  when 
I  believed  that  she  loved  me  as  hotly  as  I  loved  her.  Yes, 
and  in  the  course  of  my  wanderings,  with  fetters  on  my 
feet,  in  grief  and  misery.  I  vowed  to  myself  that  I  would 
devote  all  that  is  in  me  of  the  fire  and  force  of  love  to  no 
single  creature,  but  all  to  my  people.  Not  even  the  love 
of  woman  shall  ever  turn  me  away  from  the  great  duty  I 
have  taken  upon  me.  And  as  for  your  wife,  I  am  as  a 
stranger  to  her,  unless  it  be  that  she  sends  for  me,  as  a 
prophetess,  to  declare  to  me  some  new  purpose  of  the 
Lord." 

And  he,  on  his  part,  held  out  his  hand,  and  as  Hur  took 
it,  a  noise  came  up  from  the  troop  below,  calling  on  the 
head  of  the  house  of  Judah  and  their  newly-chosen  captain, 
for  messengers  were  climbing  the  mountain-slope,  waving 
and  pointing  to  the  mighty  clouds  of  dust  which  swept  in 
front  of  the  coming  multitude. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

The  wanderers  came  nearer  and  nearer,  and  several  of  the 
young  fighting-men  hastened  forward  to  meet  them.  They 
were  no  longer  the  jubilant  host  who  had  joined  trium- 
phantly in  Miriam's  hymn  of  praise ;  no,  they  came  slowly, 
mournfully  and  deviously  towards  the  mountain's  foot. 
They  had  to  climb  the  pass  from  the  steepest  side  ;  and 
how  the  bearers  groaned,  and  the  women  and  children 
wailed ;  how  bitterly  the  drivers  cursed  as  they  urged  the 
beasts  up  the  narrow,  precipitous  path,  and  how  hoarse 
were  the  voices  of  the  men,  parched  with  thirst,  as  they  set 
their  shoulders  to  a  cart  to  help  the  brutes  that  pulled  it ! 

These  hordes,  who,  but  a  few  days  since,  had  so  thank- 
fully hailed  the  saving  mercy  of  the  Lord,  looked,  to 
Joshua's  eyes,  like  a  beaten  army.  The  way  by  which  they 
had  travelled  from  their  last  resting-place,  the  camp  by  the 
Red  Sea,  had  been  rough  and  waterless  ;  and  to  a  people 
who  had  grown  up  in  the  fertile  plain  of  Lower  Egypt,  it 
had  been  severe  indeed  and  full  of  horrors.  It  had  led 
them  into  the  heart  of  the  barren  highlands  ;  and  at  every 
step  their  eyes,  wont  to  gaze  on  wide  and  luxuriantly 
green  pastures,  had  fallen  on  narrow  gorges  and  a  naked 


JOSHUA.  221 

wilderness.  After  passing  tne  entrance  to  the  Baba  valley, 
as  they  made  their  way  along  it  through  the  desert  of  Sin, 
they  had  seen  nothing  but  ravines  hemmed  in  by  cliffs. 
A  high  mountain  of  the  hue  of  death  towered  in  awful 
blackness  above  the  rust-brown  crags  close  at  hand,  and 
the  rocks  had  seemed  to  the  wanderers  like  monstrous 
piles  raised  by  human  hands  ;  the  layers  of  square  blocks 
built  up  at  equal  distances  stood  open  to  the  sky,  and  it 
might  have  been  fancied  that  the  giant  workmen,  whose 
hands  had  aided  the  Architect  of  the  world,  had  been 
dismissed  before  finishing  their  task,  which  in  this  solitude 
need  fear  no  prying  eye,  and  which  seemed  not  intended 
to  be  the  dwelling  of  any  living  creature.  Walls  of  granite, 
brown  and  grey,  rose  on  each  side  of  the  path ;  and  in  the 
sand  which  covered  it  lay  heaps  of  fragments  of  red  por- 
phyry and  coal-black  stones,  looking  as  if  they  had  been 
broken  by  the  hammer,  or  like  chips  of  slag  cast  out  from 
the  smelting  furnace.  Strangely-shaped  masses  of  gleam- 
ing green  rock  enclosed  the  small  cauldron-shaped  valleys 
of  the  higher  ground,  which  opened  endlessly  one  out  of 
another.  The  mounting  path  cut  them  across,  and  many 
a  time,  as  the  pilgrims  entered  one  of  these  circular  gorges, 
the  fear  came  upon  them  that  the  cliff  beyond  would  com- 
pel them  to  return.  Their  complaints  and  murmurs  had 
been  heard,  but  presently  the  gap  had  come  in  sight 
through  which  they  reached  another  rocky  amphitheatre. 

On  first  quitting  the  encampment  by  the  Red  Sea  they 
had  frequently  passed  clumps  of  acacia,  and  patches  of  a 
fragrant  desert-herb  which  the  beasts  had  eaten  with  relish  ; 
but  the  further  they  went  into  the  stony  wilderness  the  drier 
and  hotter  was  the  sandy  soil,  and  at  last  the  eye  vainly 
sought  a  tree  or  a  green  thing. 

At  Elim  they  had  found  sweet  wells  and  the  shade  of 
palms,  and  at  the  encampment  by  the  Red  Sea  there  had 
been  well-filled  tanks,  but  in  the  desert  of  Sin  they  had 
found  no  waters  to  quench  their  thirst  withal,  and  by  mid- 
day it  seemed  as  though  malicious  demons  had  cut  off  all 
shade  from  the  walls  of  rock,  for  in  these  cauldrons  and 
bowls  of  stone  everything  was  scorching  glare,  and  there 
was  no  shelter  anywhere  from  the  burning  sun.  The  last  of 
the  water  they  had  brought  with  them  had  been  distributed 
to  man  and  beast  at  their  last  halting  place,  and  when  the 
host  set  forth  again  in  the  morning,  not  a  drop  could  be 


222  JOSHUA. 

found  to  assuage  their  raging  thirst.  Then  the  old  un- 
believing spirit  of  discontent  and  rebellion  had  again  come 
over  the  Israelites.  There  was  no  end  to  the  curses  on 
Moses  and  the  elders  who  had  brought  them  out  of  the 
well-watered  land  of  Egypt  to  such  torment  as  this.  How- 
ever, when  at  last  they  had  climbed  the  pass  over  the  ridge, 
their  parched  throats  were  too  dry  for  any  loud  utterance 
of  complaint  and  cursing. 

Old  Nun's  messengers,  and  the  youths  sent  to  meet 
them  by  Ephraim  and  Hur,  had  already  announced  to  them 
that  the  smaller  party  had  won  a  victory  and  set  Joshua 
and  the  rest  of  the  prisoners  free ;  but  their  exhaustion 
was  so  complete  that  even  these  glad  tidings  had  affected 
them  but  little,  and  brought  no  more  than  a  faint  smile  to 
the  men's  bearded  lips,  or  a  transient  gleam  of  extinct 
brightness  to  the  women's  dark  eyes.  Miriam  even,  with 
Milcah,  had  remained  with  her  tribe,  and  had  not,  as  was 
her  wont,  called  the  women  together  to  return  thanks  to 
the  Almighty. 

Reuben,  the  husband  of  her  melancholy  young  compan- 
ion, whose  dread  of  disappointment  would  not  even  now 
allow  her  to  indulge  in  her  new-born  hope,  was  a  silent, 
uncommunicative  man,  and  the  first  messenger  did  not 
know  for  certain  whether  he  were  among  the  prisoners  who 
had  been  rescued.  Milcah,  nevertheless,  became  greatly 
excited,  and  when  Miriam  desired  her  to  have  patience  and 
be  still,  she  ran  from  one  to  another  of  her  companions  and 
besieged  them  with  questions.  And  since  they  could  give 
her  no  information  as  to  the  fate  of  him  she  loved  and  had 
lost,  she  broke  into  loud  sobs  and  fled  back  to  the  pro- 
phetess. From  her,  indeed,  she  got  small  comfort,  for 
Miriam,  looking  fonvarc1  to  hailing  her  husband  as  con- 
queror, and  receiving  the  friend  of  her  childhood  rescued 
and  safe,  had  fallen  into  a  brooding  and  anxious  mood  ;  it 
seemed  as  though  some  heavy  burthen  weighed  on  her  soul. 

As  soon  as  he  learnt  that  the  attack  on  the  mines  had 
proved  successful  and  that  Joshua  was  free,  Moses  had 
quitted  the  host  of  the  Hebrews.  He  had  been  told  that 
the  Amalekites,  a  warlike  race  inhabiting  the  oasis  at  the 
foot  of  Mount  Sinai,  were  making  ready  to  hinder  the 
advance  of  the  exiles  across  their  palmy  and  fertile  island 
in  the  desert.  He  had  therefore  set  out  with  a  handful  of 
picked  men,  to  make  his  way  across  the  range  and  recon- 


JOSHUA.  223 

noitre  the  enemy,  purposing  to  rejoin  the  Israelites  between 
Alush  and  Rephidim,  which  lay  in  the  valley  next  before 
the  oasis. 

Abidah,  the  chief  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin,  with  Hur  and 
Nun,  on  their  return  from  the  mines,  as  the  heads  of  the 
tribes  of  Judah  and  Ephraim,  were  to  fill  his  place-andthat 
of  his  companions. 

Now,  as  the  multitude  came  nearer  to  the  pass  they 
must  climb,  Hur  and  some  of  the  freed  men  went  forward 
to  meet  them  ;  one,  especially,  outstripping  the  rest,  Reu- 
ben, namely.  Milcah's  husband.  And  she  on  her  part  had 
recognized  him  from  afar,  as  she  sped  down  the  hillside, 
and,  in  spite  of  Miriam's  remonstrance,  hurried  forward  as 
far  as  to  the  midst  of  the  tribe  of  Simeon,  which  marched 
ahead  of  their  own.  And  there,  the  sight  of  their  meeting 
had  uplified  many  a  dejected  soul ;  and  when  at  length, 
clinging  closely  together,  they  hastened  back  to  Miriam, 
as  the  prophetess  gazed  into  her  little  friend's  face  she 
thought  a  miracle  had  been  wrought,  for  the  pale  lily  had 
been  transformed  to  a  blooming  and  glowing  rose.  And 
her  lips,  which  for  so  long  she  had  scarcely  ever  opened 
but  for  some  request  or  brief  reply,  now  were  never  still, 
for  how  much  she  wanted  to  know,  how  much  she  had  to 
ask  her  taciturn  husband,  who  had  suffered  such  terrible 
things  !  They  were  a  comely  and  joyful  couple,  and  to 
them  their  path  lay  not  over  bare  rocks  and  parched 
desert-tracks,  but  through  a  land  of  spring-flowers  where 
brooks  murmured  and  birds  sang. 

And  Miriam,  who  had  done  her  utmost  to  cheer  the 
pining  girl,  rejoiced  at  the  sight  of  their  happiness. 

Soon,  however,  every  gleam  of  glad  sympathy  faded  from 
her  face ;  for  while  Reuben  and  Milcah  walked  on  winged 
feet,  scarce  seeming  to  tread  the  soil  of  the  desert,  she 
marched  on  with  bowed  head  weighed  down  by  the  thought 
that  she  herself  was  alone  to  blame  if  no  such  happiness  as 
theirs  was  in  prospect  for  her  at  this  hour.  She  told  herself 
indeed  that  she  had  made  a  great  sacrifice,  pleasing  in  the 
eyes  of  the  Lord  and  worthy  of  great  reward,  in  refusing 
to  hearken  to  the  voice  of  her  heart ;  but  nevertheless  she 
could  not  help  remembering  the  Egyptian  woman  who  had 
forbidden  her  to  account  herself  as  one  of  those  who  truly 
loved  Joshua,  and  who  herself  had  died  so  young  for  her 
love's  sake. 


2*4  JOSHUA. 

She,  Miriam,  was  alive ;  she  had  killed  the  most  ardent 
desires  of  her  heart;  duty  forbade  her  now  to  think  with 
ardent  longing  of  the  man  who  lingered  on  the  mountain- 
top,  devoted  wholly  to  the  cause  of  his  people  and  to  the 
God  of  his  fathers,  a  free  and  noble  soul,  the  future  leader 
perhaps  of  her  nation's  armies,  and,  if  Moses  would  have 
it  so,  the  first  and  most  influential  among  the  Hebrews 
next  to  himself — but  lost,  forever  lost,  to  her.  If  only  on 
that  fateful  night  she  had  followed  the  leading  of  hei 
woman's  heart  and  not  that  imperious  call  which  placed 
her  above  all  other  women,  he  would  long  since  have 
clasped  her  in  his  arms  as  Reuben  held  his  poor,  weak 
Milcah,  now  so  rich  in  joy  and  renewed  strength. 

What  thoughts  were  these  !  She  must  drive  them  down 
to  the  deepest  recesses  of  her  heart  and  destroy  them 
utterly  ;  for  her  it  was  sin  to  long  so  passionately  to  :.ce 
him  again,  and  she  wished  that  her  husband  were  by  her 
side  to  protect  her  against  herself  and  the  forbidden 
emotions  of  this  dreadful  hour.  Hur,  the  prince  of  the 
tribe  of  Judah,  was  her  husband ;  not  the  Egyptian 
captain,  the  rescued  captive.  What  could  she  henceforth 
have  to  do  with  this  son  of  Ephraim  whom  she  had  cast 
off  once  for  all  ?  Why  should  she  now  be  aggrieved  that 
he  did  not  hasten  to  meet  her  ;  why  should  she  cherish  in 
secret  a  foolish  hope  that  it  was  some  important  duty 
which  withheld  him  on  the  mountain  ? 

She  scarcely  saw  or  heard  what  was  going  on  around 
her,  and  it  was  Milcah's  cry  of  glad  gratitude  which 
warned  her  of  Hur's  approach.  He  had  waved  her  a 
greeting  from  afar  j  but  he  was  alone,  without  Joshua  ;  and 
the  fact  that  this  was  a  pang  to  her— nay,  that  it  went  to 
her  heart — enraged  her  against  herself.  She  held  her 
elderly  husband  in  true  esteem,  and  it  was  with  no  effort 
that  she  welcomed  him  with  affection.  He  replied  to  her 
greeting  with  heartfelt  warmth;  and  when  she  pointed  to 
the  reunited  pair  and  lauded  him  as  a  conqueror  and  the 
deliverer  of  Reuben  and  his  many  fellow-victims,  he 
frankly  confessed  that  the  praise  was  not  to  him  but  to 
Joshua,  whom  she  herself  had  called  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord  to  be  the  captain  of  the  army  of  Israel. 

At  this  she  turned  pale,  and,  though  the  path  led  steeply 
upward,  she  pressed  her  husband  with  urgent  questions. 
When  she  learnt  that  Joshua  was  resting  on  the  ridge  with 


yOSHUA.  225 

his  father  and  the  young  fighting-men,  and  drinking  wine, 
and  that  Hur  had  pledged  himself  to  withdraw  if  Moses 
should  appoint  Joshua  to  be  captain  of  the  host,  her  knit 
brows  darkened  below  her  lofty  brow,  and  with  stern 
severity  she  replied  : 

"  You  are  my  lord,  and  it  ill-beseems  me  to  resist  your 
will,  even  when  you  so  far  forget  what  is  due  to  your 
wife  as  to  give  way  to  the  man  who  once  dared  to  lift  his 
eyes  to  her."  , 

Hur  eagerly  broke  in  : 

"  But  henceforth  you  are  as  a  stranger  to  him  ;  and  even 
if  I  should  give  you  a  bill  of  divorce  he  would  no  longer 
woo  you." 

"Indeed!"  said  she  with  a  forced  smile.  "  And  is  it 
to  him  that  you  owe  this  announcement  ?  " 

"  He  has  devoted  himself  body  and  soul  to  the  welfare 
of  the  people  and  renounces  the  love  of  woman,"  replied 
Hur. 

But  she  exclaimed  :  "  Renunciation  is  easy  when  de- 
sire could  bring  nothing  in  its  train  but  rejection  and 
disgrace.  It  is  not  he,  who  in  our  day  of  greatest  need 
sought  help  of  the  Egyptians — not  he  but  you  who  ought 
to  be  captain  over  the  fighting-men  of  Israel — you  alone 
who  led  the  Hebrews  to  their  first  victory  at  the  store- 
house of  Succoth,  and  whom  the  Lord  Himself  by  His 
servant  Moses,  charged  to  lead  the  fighting-men  of  Israel !  " 

At  this  Hur  looked  in  some  uneasiness  at  this  woman 
for  whom  a  late  but  ardent  love  had  glowed  up  in  him, 
and  seeing  her  bosom  heave  and  her  cheeks  flush  red,  he 
knew  not  whether  to  ascribe  it  to  the  fatigue  of  climbing 
or  the  lofty  ambition  of  her  aspiring  soul,  which  she  had 
now  transferred  to  the  person  of  her  husband. 

He  was,  indeed,  glad  to  think  that  she  cared  so  much 
more  for  him  than  for  the  younger  and  more  heroic  man 
whose  return  caused  him  some  anxiety ;  still,  he  had 
grown  grey  in  the  stern  fulfillment  of  duty,  and  what  he 
thought  it  right  to  do  no  man  could  hinder  his  doing.  To 
the  wife  of  his  youth,  whom  he  had  buried  many  years 
since,  his  merest  sign  had  been  a  command,  and  from 
Miriam  he  had  as  yet  met  with  no  contradiction.  That 
Joshua  was  the  most  fit  to  command  the  fighting-men  was 
beyond  a  doubt,  and  he  replied,  panting  somewhat,  for  he, 
too,  found  the  ascent  hard  :    "  Your  high  esteem  honor? 

x5 


22«  JOSHUA. 

and  pleases  me  ;  but  although  Moses  and  the  elders  have 
promoted  me,  you  must  remember  the  Heap  at  Succoth, 
and  my  vow.     I  bear  it  in  mind  and  shall  abide  by  it." 

She  looked  aside  and  said  no  more  till  they  had  reached 
the  top. 

The  victorious  youths  hailed  them  from  the  summit 
with  loud  acclamations.  The  joy  of  meeting,  the  pro- 
visions they  had  won  from  the  foe,  and  the  good  drink 
which  was  sparingly  measured  out  to  revive  those  who 
most  needed  it,  raised  the  fallen  courage  of  the  exhausted 
wanderers,  and  the  thirsty  multitude  shortened  their  rest 
on  the  ridge  to  reach  Dophka  all  the  sooner.  They  had 
heard  from  Joshua  that  they  would  find  there  not  only 
some  ruined  tanks  but  also  a  hidden  spring  of  whose  exist- 
ence he  had  been  informed  by  the  driver  of  the  gang  of 
prisoners. 

Their  way  now  lay  down  hill.  Haste  is  the  watchword 
when  thirsty  souls  know  that  wells  are  within  reach  ;  and 
soon  after  sunset  they  arrived  in  the  valley  of  turquoise 
mines,  where  they  encamped  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  on 
which  the  now  ruined  stronghold  and  store-houses  of 
Dophka  had  lately  stood.  The  well,  hidden  in  a  grove  of 
acacia  sacred  to  Hathor,  was  very  soon  discovered.  Fires 
were  quickly  lighted.  The  wavering  hearts,  which  in  the 
desert  of  Sin  had  sunk  almost  to  despair,  now  swelled 
again  with  the  love  of  life,  with  hope  and  thankful  trust. 
The  fine  acacia  trees  indeed  were  felled  to  open  a  way  to 
the  spring  whose  refreshing  waters  worked  the  wondrous 
change. 

Joshua  and  Miriam  had  met  on  the  ridge,  but  had  only 
had  time  for  a  brief  greeting.  Here,  in  the  camp,  they 
were  thrown  together  once  more. 

It  was  already  late,  for  the  elders  had  held  long  counsel 
as  to  the  measures  to  be  taken  for  an  unexpected  attack 
on  the  Amalekites.  Nun  and  Joshua  had  joined  the 
assembly.  The  princely  and  reverend  old  man's  son  had 
b;en  gladly  welcomed,  and  his  counsel,  that  they  should 
form  a  vanguard  of  the  younger  men  and  a  reserve  of  the 
older  warriors,  was  readily  agreed  to;  they  were  also  to 
send  small  parties  of  picked  men  to  spy  out  the  enemy. 
Joshua  found  himself  in  fact  entrusted  with  everything 
appertaining  to  the  conduct  and  safety  of  a  considerable 
army.     God  Himself  had  chosen  him  to  be  their  captain, 


JOSHUA.  227 

and  Moses,  by  leaving  him  that  warning  word  to  be 
"  steadfast  and  strong,"  had  confirmed  him  in  the  office. 
Hur,  likewise,  who  as  yet  held  the  post,  was  ready  to 
resign  it  to  him ;  and  of  a  surety  that  man  would  keep  his 
word,  although  he  had  not  yet  declared  his  purpose  before 
the  elders.  At  any  rate  Joshua  was  treated  as  though  he 
were  indeed  the  captain,  and  he  felt  himself  their  leader. 

After  the  assembly  of  the  elders  had  broken  up,  Hur 
had  desired  Joshua  to  accompany  him  to  his  tent,  notwith- 
standing the  lateness  of  the  hour  ;  and  the  warrior  had 
consented,  for  indeed  he  desired  to  speak  fully  to  Miriam. 
He  would  fain  prove  to  her  in  her  husband's  presence  that 
he  had  found  the  path  which  she  had  so  zealously  pointed 
out  to  him. 

The  tenderest  passions  of  a  Hebrew  must  be  dumb  in 
the  presence  of  another  man's  wife.  Miriam  must  know 
full  well  that  he  had  nothing  more  to.  ask  of  her.  Indeed, 
he  had  entirely  ceased,  even  in  his  hours  of  solitude,  to 
care  or  long  for  her.  He  confessed  to  himself  that  she 
was  a  grand  and  queenly  woman,  but  now  he  felt  a  chill 
as  he  thought  of  that  lofty  dignity. 

Nay,  all  her  doings  appeared  to  him  now  in  a  new  light. 
When  she  greeted  him  on  the  hill-top  with  a  cold  smile  he 
had  felt  convinced  that  henceforth  they  were  strangers 
indeed  ;  and  as  they  sat  by  the  blazing  fire  in  front  of  the 
elders'  tent,  where  they  now  met  again,  this  feeling  grew 
stronger  and  stronger. 

Miriam  had  long  since  parted  from  Reuben  and  his 
Milcah,  and  during  her  solitary  waiting  many  thoughts  had 
crossed  through  her  brain  of  what  she  would  now  make 
this  man  feel — the  man  to  whom  in  an  hour  of  strong 
excitement  she  opened  the  depths  of  her  soul. 

We  are  always  most  prone  to  be  angry  with  those  to 
whom  we  have  done  a  wrong,  and  a  woman  holds  the  gift 
of  her  love  as  so  great  and  precious  that  even  the  man  she 
afterwards  rejects  is  to  think  of  her  with  gratitude  for  ever 
after.  And  Joshua  had  boasted  that  he  had  ceased  to  care 
for  her  whom  he  had  once  ardently  desired,  and  who  had 
confessed  her  love  for  him — yea,  even  if  she  were  offered 
to  him.  Aye,  and  he  had  proved  his  words,  for  he  had 
been  content  to  wait  with  the  others  instead  of  coming  to 
meet  her. 

At  last  he  came,   and  with  him  her  husband  who  wa.s 


228  JOSHUA. 

so  ready  to  make  way  for  him.     But  she  was  still  here  to 
keep  her  eyes  open  in  behalf  of  the  too  generous  Hur. 

The  older  man,  to  whose  fate  she  had  linked  her  own, 
and  whose  faithful  devotion  touched  her  deeply,  should 
not  be  supplanted  by  any  other  man  in  the  high  place  he 
filled  by  right ;  he  must  cling  to  it,  if  only  because  she  did 
not  choose  to  be  the  wife  of  any  man  who  could  not  assert 
himself  as  the  foremost  of  the  Hebrews  after  her  own 
brothers. 

Never  had  this  much-venerated  woman,  who  for  her  part 
believed,  too,  in  her  own  gift  of  prophecy,  felt  so  bitter,  so 
sore  and  indignant.  She  did  not  own  it  to  herself,  but  it 
was  as  though  the  hatred  which  Moses  had  fired  in  her  soul 
against  the  Egyptians,  and  which  no  longer  had  an  outlet, 
needed  some  fresh  object,  and  was  now  turned  against 
the  only  man  she  ever  had  loved.  But  a  true  woman 
can  make  a  show  of  friendship  in  word  and  demeanor 
to  any  one,  excepting  those  she  scorns,  and  Miriam 
received  her  belated  guest  with  haughty  but  gracious 
condescension,  and  begged  him  to  give  her  further  details 
as  to  his  captivity  and  release.  But  she  called  him  by  his 
old  name  of  Hosea,  and  when  he  perceived  that  this  was 
evidently  intentional,  he  asked  her  whether  she  had  for- 
gotten that  it  was  she  herself  who,  as  the  messenger  of  the 
Most  High,  had  bidden  him  henceforth  to  call  himself 
Joshua.  To  this  she  replied — and  her  features  assumed  a 
sharper  gravjty  of  expression — that  her  memory  was  good, 
but  that  she  would  fain  forget  the  time  he  referred  to.  He 
himself  had  rejected  the  name  bestowed  on  him  by  the 
Lord,  inasmuch  as  he  had  preferred  to  seek  the  favor  of 
the  Egyptian  king  rather  than  the  help  promised  him  by 
God.  She,  faithful  to  her  old  habits,  should  continue  to 
call  him  Hosea. 

The  simple-hearted  soldier  was  not  prepared  for  such 
a  hostile  tone  ;  however,  he  preserved  a  fittingly  calm 
demeanor,  and  replied  with  composure  that  he  would  but 
rarely  give  her  the  opportunity  of  calling  him  by  any 
name.  Those  who  were  his  friends  found  no  difficulty  in 
learning  to  call  him  Joshua. 

To  this  Miriam  answered  that  she  likewise  would  be 
willing  to  do  so  if  her  husband  agreed  and  he  himself  in- 
sisted on  it,  for  a  man's  name  was  but  as  a  garment. 
With  offices  and  dignities  it  was  another  matter. 


JOSHUA.  229 

When  Joshua  then  declared  that  he  had  always  believed 
that  it  was  God  Himself  who  had  called  him  by  the  voice 
of  His  prophetess,  herself,  to  be  the  captain  of  the  hosts  of 
Israel,  and  that  he  conceded  to  no  man,  save  only  to  Moses, 
the  right  to  deprive  him  of  that  office,  Hur  agreed  with 
him  and  offered  him  his  hand. 

At  this  Miriam  threw  off  the  self-control  she  had  hitherto 
preserved,  and  exclaimed  with  vehement  defiance  : 

"  In  this  I  am  not  of  your  mind.  You  evaded  the  call 
of  the  Most  High  !  Can  you  deny  it?  And  inasmuch  as 
the  Almighty  found  you  at  Pharaoh's  footstool,  instead  of 
at  the  head  of  His  people,  He  deprived  you  of  the  office 
to  which  He  had  raised  you.  He,  Himself,  the  Mightiest 
of  Captains,  commanded  the  wind  and  waves,  and  they 
swallowed  up  the  enemy.  I  sang  a  hymn  of  praise  to  the 
Lord,  and  the  people  joined  in  my  thanksgiving.  And  on 
that  same  day  God  called  another  man  than  you  to  be  chief 
of  the  Hebrew  host,  and  he,  as  you  know,  is  my  husband. 
And  although  Hur  indeed  has  never  learnt  the  arts  of 
war,  yet  the  Lord  surely  guides  his  arm;  and  who  is  it 
that  giveth  the  victory  but  the  Lord  Almighty  ?  My  hus- 
band, I  tell  you  once  again — my  husband  alone  is  the 
captain,  and  though  in  his  excess  of  generosity  he  for- 
gets it,  yet  he  will  assert  his  right  to  his  office  when  he 
remembers  whose  hand  it  was  that  chose  him ;  and  I,  his 
wife,  life  up  my  voice  to  bring  it  to  his  mind." 

On  this  Joshua  turned  to  go,  to  put  an  end  to  this  un- 
pleasant discussion,  but  Hur,  very  wroth  at  his  wife's 
interference  between  men,  held  him  fast,  assuring  him 
that  he  should  abide  by  his  renunciation.  The  wind  might 
blow  away  a  woman's  words  of  displeasure  ;  it  must  rest 
with  Moses  to  declare  whom  the  Lord  had  chosen  to  be 
captain  of  His  people. 

As  he  spoke  Hur  looked  in  his  wife's  face  with  stern 
dignity,  as  warning  her  to  reflect ;  and  this  seeme'd  to  have 
had  the  desired  effect.  Miriam  turned  first  pale  and  then 
deep  scarlet,  and  she,  too,  detained  their  guest  as  though 
she  desired  to  make  amends,  beckoning  him  with  a  trem- 
bling hand  to  come  closer  to  her. 

"  Yet  one  thing  I  must  say,"  she  began  with  a  deep 
breath,  "  that  you  may  not  misunderstand  me.  I  call  every 
man  my  friend  who  devotes  himself  to  the  cause  of  Israel, 
and  Hur  has  told  me  how  much  you  purpose  to  sacrifice 


230  JOSHUA. 

to  our  people.  It  was  your  confidence  in  Pharaoh's 
clemency  which  came  between  us,  and  I  know  how  to 
Value  your  deep  and  decisive  breach  with  the  Egyptians. 
Still,  I  only  truly  understood  the  greatness  of  your  deed 
when  I  learnt  that  it  was  not  only  life-long  habit,  but 
another  and  stronger  tie  that  bound  you  to  the  foe." 

"  What  is  the  aim  of  such  a  speech  ?  "  Joshua  broke  in, 
feeling  quite  sure  that  she  was  laying  some  fresh  arrow 
to  the  bowstring  intended  to  wound  him.  But  she  paid 
no  heed  to  the  interruption,  and  went  on  with  a  defiant 
sparkle  in  her  eye  which  belied  the  moderation  of  her 
tongue : 

"  After  the  guidance  of  the  Lord  had  saved  us  from  the 
foe,  the  sea  cast  up  on  shore  the  fairest  woman  we  had 
seen  for  many  a  day.  I  bound  up  the  wounds  inflicted  on 
her  by  a  Hebrew  woman,  and  she  then  confessed  that  she 
was  full  of  love  for  you,  and  with  her  dying  breath  spoke 
of  you  as  the  idol  of  her  heart." 

At  this  Joshua,  deeply  incensed,  exclaimed  : 
"  If  this  were  all  the  truth,  O  wife  of  Hur,  then  my 
father  would  have  told  me  an  untruth.  For.  as  I  learnt 
from  him,  it  was  in  the  presence  of  those  only  who  love 
me  that  the  hapless  woman  made  the  last  confession  ;  not 
before  you.  And  she  was  wise  to  mistrust  your  presence, 
for  you  would  never  have  understood  her  ! " 

He  saw  a  suspicious  smile  play  on  Miriam's  lips,  but  he 
heeded  it  not  and  went  on  :  "  Your  wit  is — oh,  ten  times 
keener  than  that  poor  child's  ever  was.  But  in  your 
heart,  which  once  was  open  to  such  great  things,  there  is 
no  room  for  love.  It  will  grow  old  and  cease  to  beat  before 
it  has  learned  what  love  is  !  Yea,  in  spite  of  your  flashing 
eyes  I  tell  you  this  :  you  are  indeed  more  than  a  woman  ; 
you  are  a  prophetess,  and  I  cannot  boast  of  such  grace.  I 
am  no  more  than  a  man,  and  understand  the  use  of  the 
sword  better  than  looking  into  futurity,  and  nevertheless 
I  can  foretell  one  thing  :  you  will  cherish  the  haired  of  me 
which  burns  in  your  soul.  You  will  even  light  up  the 
flame  in  your  husband's  heart  and  strive  to  fan  it  with 
the  utmost  zeal,  and  I  know  why  !  The  fiery  ambition 
which  possesses  you  will  not  suffer  you  to  be  happy  as  the 
wife  of  a  man  who  must  stand  second  to  any  other.  You 
refuse  to  call  me  by  the  name  you  yourself  gave  me.  But 
if  hatred  and  pride  do  not  altogether  choke  the  one  feeling 


JOSHUA.  23 1 

which  unites  us,  namely,  our  love  of  our  people,  the  day 
will  come  when  of  your  own  free  will  you  will  approach 
me  and  call  me  Joshua,  unbidden,  out  of  the  fullness  of 
your  heart." 

With  these  words  he  bowed  his  head  in  brief  farewell  to 
Miriam  and  her  husband,  and  disappeared  in  the  darkness. 

Hur  looked  after  him  gloomily,  and  spoke  not  a  word 
till  the  footsteps  of  their  departing  guest  had  died  away  in 
the  silence  of  the  night.  Till  this  hour  he  had  always  looked 
up  to  his  wife  with  tender  admiration,  but  now  the  wrath 
he  had  restrained  with  difficulty  knew  no  bounds.  With 
two  long  strides  he  came  close  to  her ;  she  was  even  paler 
than  he,  as  she  stood  gazing  into  the  fire  like  one  dis- 
traught. His  voice  had  lost  its  rich  metallic  ring,  and 
sounded  harsh  and  thin  as  he  said  :  "  I  was  so  bold  as  to 
woo  a  maiden  who  believed  herself  nearer  to  God  than 
other  women,  and  now  she  is  mine  she  makes  me  repent  of 
my  audacity  ! " 

"  Repent  ? "  She  paused  with  white  lips,  and  as  she 
looked  up  at  him,  a  defiant  glance  sparkled  in  her  black 
eyes.  He  seized  her  hand  with  so  firm  a  grip  that  it  hurt 
her,  and  went  on  as  he  had  begun  :  "  Yes,  you  make  me 
repent  of  it.  Shame  on  me  if  I  suffer  this  hour  of  degrada- 
tion to  be  followed  by  such  another  !  " 

She  tried  to  wrench  her  hand  free  but  he  would  not  sur- 
render it  and  went  on  :  "I  wooed  and  won  you  to  be  the 
pride  of  my  house.  I  believed  I  was  sowing  honor,  I 
have  reaped  dishonor — for  what  deeper  disgrace  may  be- 
fall a  man  than  that  the  wife  should  have  the  mastery  and 
dare  to  wound  the  heart  of  his  friend,  whom  hospitality 
should  protect,  with  hostile  words.  A  woman,  such  as  you 
are  not,  a  simple,  right-minded  wife,  who  could  look  back 
on  her  husband's  past  life  and  think  not  merely  of  how  he 
may  gain  promotion  because  she  desires  to  share  his  great- 
ness— such  a  wife  would  not  need  to  be  reminded  that 
Hur,  the  man  who  is  your  husband,  has  earned  dignities 
and  honors  enough  in  the  course  of  a  long  life  to  be  able 
to  lay  down  some  portion  of  them  without  losing  by  it. 
Not  he  who  is  chief  in  command,  but  he  who  does  most 
from  self-sacrificing  love  of  his  nature,  is  the  greatest  in 
Jehovah's  sight.  You  crave  to  stand  aloof  and  be  honored 
by  the  crowd  as  the  chosen  handmaid  of  God.  I  do  not 
forbid  it  so  long  as  you  do  not  forget  what  your  duty  as  a 


»32  JOSHUA. 

wife  and  mistress  requires  of  you.  To  me,  indeed,  yol 
also  owe  love,  for  you  promised  to  love  me  on  the  day 
when  we  were  wed  :  howbeit,  the  human  heart  can  only 
give  what  it  has  to  give  ;  and  Joshua  is  right  when  he 
says  that  the  love  which  glows  and  gives  warmth  is  far 
from  your  cold  soul." 

He  turned  his  back  on  her  and  withdrew  into  the  dark- 
ness of  the  tent ;  she  remained  standing  by  the  fire,  the 
flickering  blaze  lighting  upher  beautiful  pallid  features.  She 
set  her  teeth  tightly  and  clenched  her  hands  over  her  heav- 
ing bosom  as  she  gazed  after  her  husband.  He  had  stood 
before  her  in  the  consciousness  of  his  dignity,  grey-haired, 
tall  and  reverend,  a  worthy  and  princely  leader  of  the 
people.  Each  of  his  words  had  pierced  her  heart  like  a 
spear  thrust.  The  power  of  truth  had  weighed  his  speech, 
and  had  held  up  a  mirror  to  Miriam  which  showed  her 
an  image  from  which  she  started  in  horror.  Now  she 
longed  to  hasten  after  him,  and  beseech  him  to  give  her 
again  the  love  with  which  he  had  hitherto  surrounded 
her  ;  she,  alone  in  the  world,  had  gratefully  acknowledged 
that  she  felt  that  she  could  fully  return  the  precious  boon, 
for  she  longed,  ah,  how  ardently,  to  hear  one  kind  and  for- 
giving word  from  his  lips.  Her  own  heart  seemed  to  her 
as  a  cornfield  blighted  by  malignant  mildew  ;  withered, 
dried  up  and  ruined,  where  all  had  been  so  fresh  and 
blossoming. 

Her  thoughts  flew  to  the  rich  arable  of  Goshen  which, 
after  bearing  the  richest  crops,  remained  hard  and  parched 
till  the  river  rose  to  soften  it  again,  and  bring  the  seed 
faid  in  its  bosom  to  life  and  verdure.  Thus  was  it  with 
her  ;  but  she  had  cast  the  ripening  ears  into  the  fire,  and 
willfully  built  up  a  dam  between  the  beneficent  stream  and 
the  dry  land. 

But  there  was  yet  time.  She  knew,  indeed,  that  in  one 
thing  he  was  unjust,  that  she  was  a  woman  like  any  other, 
and  capable  of  devoting  herself  with  passionate  ardor  to 
the  man  she  loved.  It  depended  only  on  her  to  prove  this 
to  him  and  bring  him  to  her  arms.  Just  now,  to  be  sure, 
he  had  a  right  to  regard  her  as  hard  and  unfeeling  ;  for 
there,  where  love  was  wont  to  bloom,  a  bitter  spring  had 
risen  which  poisoned  all  it  touched. 

Was  this  the  revenge  taken  by  her  heart  whose  ardenc 
desires  she  had  so  heroically  smothered? 


"JOSHUA.  *33 

God  had  scorned  her  most  precious  offering,  it  was  im- 
possible to  doubt  the  fact.  His  presence  no  longer 
uplifted  her  soul  in  visions  of  glory,  and  she  could  hardly 
call  herself  His  prophetess  any  longer.  This  sacrifice  had 
led  her,  who  was  truthful,  to  falsehood  ;  conscious  of  al- 
ways desiring  the  right,  she  had  hitherto  lived  at  peace 
with  herself;  now  she  suffered  tortures  of  unrest.  Since 
that  momentous  step,  nothing  she  cared  for  had  smiled  on 
her,  who  had  been  so  full  of  hope.  She  who  had  never 
seen  the  woman  for  whom  she  need  make  way,  had  been 
sent  from  the  presence  of  a  poor  dying  stranger.  She  had 
always  felt  kindly  to  every  one  who  loved  her  race  and  the 
sacred  cause  of  her  people,  and  now  she  had  insulted  one 
of  their  best  and  noblest  champions  with  bitter  wrath. 
The  poorest  serf's  wife  could  win  the  husband  who  loved 
her  to  a  closer  union,  and  she  had  only  estranged  hers. 

She  had  come  to  his  hearth  seeking  only  shelter  from 
the  cold,  but  she  had  found  unexpected  warmth,  and 
his  generosity  and  love  had  fallen  on  her  aching  soul  like 
balm.  He  could  not,  indeed,  give  her  back  what  she  had 
lost,  but  he  was  a  welcome  substitute.  And  he  now 
believed  her  incapable  of  a  tender  emotion  ;  still,  she 
must  have  love  to  live,  and  no  sacrifice  would  be  too  great 
to  win  his  back  again. 

But  pride  was  no  less  a  condition  of  her  existence,  and 
each  time  she  made  up  her  mind  to  humble  herself  and 
open  her  heart  to  her  husband,  a  fear  of  degradation 
checked  her ;  and  there  she  stood,  as  though  spell-bound, 
till  the  brands  at  her  feet  fell  over  and  died  out,  and  dark- 
ness surrounded  her. 

Then  a  strange  fear  fell  upon  her. 

Two  bats,  which  had  come  forth  from  the  mines  to 
flutter  around  the  fire,  flew  close  to  her  face  with  a  ghostly 
stir.  Everything  prompted  her  to  retire  to  the  tent,  to  go 
back  to  her  husband ;  and  with  sudden  decision  she  went 
into  the  spacious  room,  lighted  by  a  lamp.  But  Hur  was 
not  there,  and  a  slave-girl  who  met  her  told  her  that  he 
had  said  he  would  remain  with  his  son  and  grandson  till  it 
was  time  to  depart. 

A  sense  of  bitter  woe  fell  upon  her  ;  she  lay  down  to  rest, 
more  desolate  and  ashamed  than  she  had  ever  felt  since 
her  childhood. 

A  few  hours  later  the  camp  was  astir,  and  when,  in  the 


234  JOSHUA. 

grey  light  of  dawn,  her  husband  entered  the  tent  with  a 
brief  greeting,  her  pride  once  more  uplifted  its  head  and 
her  reply  was  cold  and  demure. 

He  was  not  alone  ;  his  son  Uri  followed  him  in.  He 
looked  graver,  too,  than  usual,  for  the  men  of  Judah  had 
assembled  at  an  early  hour  and  besought  him  not  to  sur- 
render the  captaincy  in  favor  of  a  man  of  another  tribe 
than  theirs. 

This  had  come  upon  him  as  a  surprise.  He  could  only 
refer  them  to  Moses,  and  the  hope  that  their  leader's 
decision  might  be  given  against  himself  grew  keener  as  his 
young  wife's  resolute  glance  again  roused  his  spirit  to 
opposition. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

With  refreshed  body  and  revived  hearts  the  Hebrews  set 
forth  again  early  on  the  following  morning  ;  and  by  this 
time,  the  little  spring,  which  they  had  even  dug  deeper  to 
promote  its  flow,  was  for  the  time  exhausted.  They  cared 
the  less  that  it  refused  to  yield  any  water  to  carry  on  their 
journey,  because  they  expected  to  find  some  wells  at 
Alush. 

The  sun  mounted  the  cloudless  sky  in  radiant  majesty. 
Its  splendor  exerted  its  stirring  influence  on  the  hearts  of 
men  even,  and  the  rocks  and  yellow  sandy  soil  shone  as 
brightly  as  the  blue  vault  above.  The  pure  aromatic  air 
of  the  desert,  cooled  by  the  hours  of  darkness,  was  so  light 
that  it  was  a  pleasure  to  breathe,  and  walking  was 
enjoyment. 

The  men  showed  firmer  confidence,  the  women's  eyes 
flashed  more  brightly  than  for  some  time  past,  for  the  Lord 
had  shown  once  more  that  He  was  mindful  of  His  people 
in  their  need  ;  and  fathers  and  mothers  looked  proudly  on 
their  sons  who  had  overpowered  the  enemy.  In  every 
tribe  some  one  had  been  welcomed  home  who  had  been 
given  up  for  lost,  and  it  was  a  joyful  duty  to  heal  the 
injuries  inflicted  by  the  hard  labor  of  the  mines.  More- 
over, Joshua's  deliverance  was  a  cause  of  rejoicing,  not 
alone  among  his  own  people,  but  throughout  the  multitude  ; 
and  by  all,  excepting  those  of  the  tribe  of  Judah,  he  waj' 


JOSHUA.  235 

now  called  by  that  new  name,  with  full  belief  in  the  com- 
forting promise  conveyed  by  it.  The  young  men  who, 
under  him,  had  put  the  Egyptians  to  rout,  told  in  their 
tribes  what  sort  of  man  Joshua  was,  how  he  thought  of 
everything,  and  put  every  one  in  the  very  place  where  he 
could  do  best.  The  mere  light  of  his  eye  as  it  fell  on  a 
man  fired  his  warlike  ardor ;  the  foe  quaked  only  to  hear 
him  shout  the  battle-cry. 

And  those  who  spoke  of  old  Nun,  or  of -the  noble  lad, 
his  grandson,  did  so  with  kindling  glances.  The  high  pre- 
tensions of  the  tribe  of  Ephraim  had  often  been  a  source 
of  disagreement,  but  on  this  occasion  it  was  by  common 
consent  allowed  to  march  first.  Only  the  men  of  Judah 
were  heard  to  murmur  and  complain.  They  must,  no 
doubt,  have  some  serious  ground  of  discontent,  for  Hur, 
the  prince  of  their  tribe,  and  his  wife  walked  on  with 
bowed  heads  as  if  oppressed  by  a  heavy  burthen,  and  those 
who  spoke  with  them  had  certainly  better  have  chosen 
some  other  opportunity.  So  long  as  the  sun's  rays  still 
fell  aslant,  there  was  a  little  shade  cast  by  the  sandstone 
peaks  which  hemmed  the  path  in  on  both  sides,  or  stood 
up  in  its  midst,  and  when  the  sons  of  Korah  began  to  sing 
a  hymn,  old  and  young  joined  in  ;  Milcah,  no  longer 
pallid,  loudest  and  gladdest  of  all,  and  Reuben,  her 
released  and  happy  husband. 

The  children  picked  up  the  golden  fruits  of  the  colocynth, 
which  fell  from  the  now  withered  gourds  above  as  if  they 
dropped  from  heaven,  and  brought  them  to  their  parents. 
But  they  were  as  bitter  as  gall  to  eat,  and  a  morose  old 
man  of  the  tribe  of  Zebulon,  who  kept  some  of  the  stout 
rinds  to  serve  to  hold  salve,  said :  "  Thus  will  this  day  be. 
It  has  a  fair  seeming  ;  but  when  the  sun  is  high  and  we 
lack  water  we  shall  know  its  bitterness  !  " 

And  his  prophecy  was  only  too  soon  fulfilled  ;  for  the 
path,  after  leaving  the  region  of  sand,  went  on  through 
rocky  cliffs  like  walls  of  red  brick  and  grey  stone,  up  and 
up,  now  at  an  easy  slope  and  now  very  steep  ;  the  sun, too, 
mounted  higher  and  higher,  and  the  heat  increased  as  the 
hours  went  on.  Never  had  its  arrows  fallen  more  cruelly 
on  the  pilgrims,  striking  pitilessly  on  their  unprotected 
heads  and  necks.  Here '  an  old  man  and  there  a  young 
one  sank  to  the  ground  under  its  fierce  glow,  or  tottered 
forward  like  one  drunk,  supported  by  his  neighbors  and 


a36  JOSHUA. 

clasping  his  hand  to  his  brow.  The  blistered  skin  peeled 
off  their  faces  and  hands,  and  there  was  not  one  whose 
tongue  and  gums  were  not  dried  by  the  heat,  or  whose 
newly-found  courage  it  did  not  quell. 

The  beasts  toiled  sullenly  forward  with  drooping  heads 
and  heavy  feet,  or  rolled  rebelliously  in  the  sand  till  the 
herdsman's  thong  compelled  them  to  collect  their  strength 
for  a  fresh  effort. 

At  noon  the  Israelites  were  allowed  to  halt,  but  there 
was  not  a  hand-breadth  of  shade  to  give  them  the  reprieve 
they  sought ;  and  those  who  threw  themselves  down  on 
the  ground  found  fresh  torment  instead  of  rest.  Thus  the 
hapless  wretches  of  their  own  accord  set  forth  again  soon 
for  the  wells  of  Alush. 

Until  this  day,  as  soon  as  the  sun  had  passed  the  meridian 
and  begun  to  sink  towards  the  west,  the  heat  had  abated, 
and  a  fresher  breeze  had  fanned  their  brows  before  the  fall 
of  dusk,  but  here  the  rocks  for  hours  gave  out  the  heat 
they  had  absorbed  from  the  noon-tide  sun,  till  at  length  a 
faintly  cooler  breath  came  up  from  the  sea  on  the  west.  At 
the  same  time  the  vanguard,  which,  by  Joshua's  advice, 
marched  foremost,  halted,  and  the  whole  multitude  came 
to  a  standstill.  Men,  women  and  children  all  fixed  their 
eyes  and  pointed  with  hands,  sticks  and  crooks  to  the 
same  spot,  for  there,  before  them,  a  strange  and  novel 
spectacle  attracted  their  gaze.  A  shout  of  amazement 
and  delight  broke  from  their  parched  and  weary  lips  which 
had  long  ceased  to  stir  for  speech  ;  it  rapidly  spread  from 
one  division  to  the  next,  from  tribe  to  tribe,  to  the  lepers 
that  closed  the  train  and  the  vanguard  beyond.  One  and 
another  elbowed  his  neighbor  and  whispered  a  name 
familiar  to  them  all — that  of  the  Holy  Mountain  where  the 
Lord  had  promised  to  Moses  that  he  would  lead  His 
people  into  a  good  and  pleasant  land  flowing  with  milk 
and  honey.  None  had  told  the  weary  multitude  that  this 
was  the  place,  and  yet  they  knew  that  they  beheld  Horeb 
and  the  peak  of  Sinai,  the  most  sacred  summit  of  this 
mass  of  granite. 

Although  but  a  mountain,  yet  was  it  the  throne  of  the 
Almighty  God  of  their  fathers  ! 

At  this  hour  the  whole  sacred  hill  seemed,  like  the 
burning  bush  out  of  which  He  had  there  spoken  to  His 
chosen  servant,  to  be  steeped  in  fire.     Its   seven-peaked 


JOSHUA.  237 

crown  towered  from  afar,  high  above  the  hills  and  vales 
that  surrounded  it,  burning  like  an  enormous  ruby  lighted 
up  by  a  blaze  of  glory  in  the  clouds. 

Such  a  sight  none  of  them  had  ever  beheld.  But  the 
sun  sank  lower  and  lower,  and  disappeared  in  the  sea 
which  the  mountain  hid  from  their  view  ;  the  glowing  ruby 
turned  to  solemn  amethyst  and  then  to  the  deep  purple  of 
the  violet ;  but  the  people  still  gazed  spell-bound  on  the 
Holy  Mount.  Nay,  even  when  the  day-star  had  altogether 
vanished,  and  only  its  reflection  bordered  the  edge  of  a 
long,  level  cloud  with  gleaming  gold,  they  opened  their 
eyes  the  wider,  for  a  man  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin,  his 
brain  turned  by  the  splendor  of  the  scene,  declared  that 
they  beheld  the  trailing  mantle  of  Jehovah,  and  those 
about  him  to  whom  he  pointed  it  out  caught  the  pious 
rapture. 

For  a  little  while  the  pilgrims  had  forgotten  thirst  and 
exhaustion  in  watching  the  inspiring  spectacle.  But  ere 
long  their  high  enthusiasm  was  turned  to  the  deepest  dis- 
couragement, for  when  night  fell,  and  after  a  short  march 
they  reached  the  wells  of  Alush,  it  was  discovered  that 
the  desert  tribe  which  had  encamped  here  yesterday  had 
choked  the  spring,  which  at  best  was  but  brackish,  with 
stones  and  rubbish. 

All  the  water  they  had  carried  with  them  had  been  used 
before  reaching  Dophka,  and  the  exhausted  spring  at  the 
mines  had  not  sufficed  to  fill  the  skins.  Thirst,  which  at 
first  had  only  dried  their  gums,  now  began  to  burn  their 
vitals.  Their  scorched  throats  could  not  swallow  the  solid 
food  of  which  they  had  abundance.  On  every  side  there 
was  nothing  to  be  seen  but  heart-broken  looks,  and  pitiable 
or  disgraceful  scenes.  Men  and  women  storming,  cursing, 
weeping,  and  groaning,  or  else  sunk  in  morose  despair. 
Some,  whose  wailing  infants  clamored  for  water,  had 
gathered  round  the  choked  well  and  were  fighting  for  a 
spot  on  the  ground  where  they  hoped  to  collect  a  few 
drops  of  the  precious  fluid  in  a  sherd.  And  the  beasts 
lowed  and  bleated  so  miserably  that  it  cut  their  drivers  to 
the  heart  like  a  reproach. 

Very  few  cared  to  exert  themselves  to  pitch  a  tent.  The 
night  was  so  warm,  and  the  sooner  they  went  forward  the 
better,  for  Moses  had  promised  to  join  them  again  at  a 
spot  but  a  few  hours  further  on.     He  alone  could  help 


238  JOSHUA. 

them ;  it  was  his  bounden  duty  to  save  man  and  beast 
from  perishing  of  drought. 

If  the  God  who  had  promised  them  such  great  things 
left  them  to  perish  in  the  wilderness  with  all  their  little 
ones,  then  the  man  in  whose  guidance  they  had  put  their 
trust  was  a  deceiver,  and  the  God  whose  power  and  mercy 
he  was  never  weary  of  preaching  to  them  was  falser  and 
feebler  than  the  idols  with  heads  of  men  and  beasts  whom 
they  had  worshiped  in  Egypt.  Blasphemy  and  curses 
were  mingled  with  threats,  and  when  Aaron  came  forth  to 
comfort  the  thirsty  pilgrims  with  words  of  hope,  many  a 
clenched  fist  was  shaken  at  him. 

Even  Miriam  was  presently  forbidden  by  her  husband 
to  console  the  women  with  kindly  speech,  for  a  woman 
whose  sinking  child  clung  dying  to  its  mother's  dried-up 
breast  had  picked  up  a  stone  to  fling,  and  the  others  had 
followed  her  example. 

Old  Nun  and  his  son  were  more  fortunate.  They  were 
both  agreed  that  Joshua  must  fight  whatever  post  Moses 
might  desire  him  to  fill  ;  and  Hur  himself  had  led  him 
forth  to  the  fighting-men,  who  had  hailed  him  gladly.  The 
old  man  and  his  son  both  knew  the  secret  of  inspiring 
courage.  They  spoke  to  the  men  of  the  well-watered 
oasis  of  the  Amalekites,  which  was  now  not  far  away,  and 
reminded  them  that  the  Lord  Himself  had  provided  the 
weapons  they  held  in  their  hands.  Joshua  assured  them, 
too,  that  they  far  out-numbered  the  warriors  of  the  desert- 
tribe.  If  their  young  men  only  showed  themselves  as  brave 
as  they  had  been  at  Dophka  and  the  coppermines,  by 
God's  help  they  should  win  the  victory. 

Soon  after  midnight  Joshua,  after  holding  council  with 
the  elders,  bid  the  trumpets  sound  to  call  the  fighting- 
men  together.  He  set  them  in  ranks  under  the  starlit 
sky,  appointed  a  leader  to  each  division,  and  impressed  on 
each  the  hearing  of  the  word  of  command  he  was  to 
obey. 

They  came  at  the  call,  half  perishing  with  thirst;  but 
the  fresh  efforts  to  which  their  captain  exhorted  them 
wonderfully  revived  their  fainting  energies  ;  as  well  as  the 
hope  of  victory  and  a  precious  reward,  a  plot  of  land, 
namely,  at  the  foot  of  the  Holy  Mountain,  rich  in  wells 
and  palms. 

Among  the   youths  came  Ephraim,   giving  life   to  the 


JOSHUA.  239 

others  by  his  own  inexhaustible  vigor.  And  now,  when 
the  captain,  to  whom  God  had  already  proved  that  He 
thought  him  worthy  of  the  help  which  his  name  promised, 
addressed  the  men,  bidding  them  put  their  trust  in  the 
Lord  Almighty,  it  had  quite  a  different  effect  from  that 
produced  by  Aaron,  whose  admonitions  they  had  hearkened 
to  every  day  since  they  set  out. 

When  Joshua  had  ended,  a  jubilant  shout  went  up  from 
many  young  throats  though  parched  with  thirst :  "  Hail  to 
the  captain  !  You  are  our  leader ;  we  will  follow  none 
other  !  " 

Then  he  went  on,  gravely  and  decisively,  to  explain  to 
them  that  he  was  prepared  to  show  to  the  utmost  such 
obedience  as  he  required  of  them.  He  was  ready  to 
march  as  the  last  man  in  the  lowest  place,  if  it  should  be 
Moses'  will. 

The  stars  were  still  bright  in  a  cloudless  sky  when  a 
cow-horn  called  the  Hebrews  to  set  forth  again.  A  runner 
had  already  been  sent  on  to  report  to  Moses  of  their  evil 
plight,  and  Ephraim  had  flown  after  him  as  soon  as  he  was 
free  to  do  so.  But  throughout  the  morning's  march 
Joshua  kept  his  troops  in  strict  order,  as  though  an 
onslaught  was  to  be  expected.  Meanwhile  he  took  advan- 
tage of  every  minute  to  teach  the  fighting-men  and  their 
leaders  something  for  the  coming  struggle,  to  note  their 
behavior,  and  close  up  their  ranks.  He  thus  kept  them  on 
the  alert  till  the  stars  began  to  pale. 

Few  indeed  were  the  murmurs  or  complaints  among  the 
fighting-men,  but  rebellion,  curses  and  threats  were  all  the 
more  rife  among  those  who  bore  no  weapons.  Long  before 
dawn  the  cry  was  heard,  more  and  more  often,  of  "  Down 
with  Moses!  We  will  stone  him  when  we  find  him!" 
And  indeed  their  knees  were  failing  them  for  weariness,  and 
the  misery  of  their  wives  and  children  was  visible  to 
every  eye. 

Not  a  few,  indeed,  picked  a  piece  of  rock  from  the  path 
with  a  wild  curse  and  flashing  eye ;  and  at  last  the  fury  of 
the  multitude  waxed  so  wild  and  reckless  that  Hur  called  a 
council  of  the  better  disposed  among  the  elders,  and  they 
hastened  on  with  the  fighting-men  of  the  tribe  of  Judah  to 
protect  Moses,  if  it  should  come  to  the  worst,  by  force  of 
arms  against  the  rebels.  Joshua  took  on  himself  the  task  of 
keeping  back  the  mutineers,  who  with  curses  and  threats 


240  JOSHUA. 

strove  to  outstrip  the  rest.  When  at  last  the  sun  rose  in 
blinding  splendor,  the  march  was  no  more  than  a  struggle 
onwards  of  enfeebled  wretches.  Even  the  men  at 
arms  tottered  forwards  half-paralyzed.  Still,  when  the 
rebels  tried  to  pass  them,  they  did  their  duty  and  thrust 
them  back  with  spear  and  sword.  The  valley  along  which 
they  made  their  way  was  shut  in  on  both  sides  by  steep 
walls  of  grey  granite  which  glittered  and  sparkled  strangely 
as  the  slanting  sunbeams  fell  on  the  fragments  of  quartz 
thickly  imbedded  in  the  primaeval  rock.  By  noon  it  would 
be  scorchingly  hot  again  between  these  steep  cliffs,  in  some 
parts  almost  closing  across  the  path  ;  as  yet,  however,  they 
lay  in  morning  shade.  And  the  beasts,  at  any  rate,  found 
refreshment,  for  among  the  rocks  in  many  places  a  succu- 
lent aromatic  plant  afforded  them  pasture,  and  the  shep- 
herd boys,  taking  off  their  loin  cloths,  filled  them  with  the 
fodder  in  spite  of  their  own  exhaustion,  to  offer  it  to  their 
famishing  favorites. 

Thus  they  struggled  on  for  less  than  an  hour,  when  sud- 
denly a  loud  shout  of  joy  rang  out,  spreading  from  the  fore- 
most in  the  van  to  the  last  man  in  the  long  train.  No  one 
had  been  told  in  so  many  words  to  what  it  owed  its  origin, 
but  every  one  knew  it  must  mean  that  they  had  come  upon 
fresh  water.  Then  Ephraim  came  flying  back  with  the  glad 
tidings,  and  what  a  miracle  it  worked  on  the  exhausted 
wanderers ! 

They  pulled  themselves  up  as  though  they  had  already 
emptied  the  brimming  jar  at  a  deep  draught,  and  struggled 
forward  at  double  speed.  The  ranks  of  fighting-men  now 
no  longer  hindered  them,  but  hailed  those  of  their  tribe 
who  hastened  past  them  with  glad  greetings. 

Soon,  however,  the  hurrying  tide  stopped  of  its  own 
accord  ;  for  at  the  spot  where  refreshment  was  to  be  found 
the  foremost  came  to  a  standstill,  and  behind  them  the  whole 
multitude  were  checked  more  effectually  than  by  moats 
and  walls.  The  toiling  pilgrims  had  become  a  vast,  dis- 
orderly crowd,  filling  the  whole  valley.  At  last  men  and 
women  turned  back  carrying  well-filled  water  jars  in  their 
hands  or  on  their  heads,  beckoning  joyfully  to  their  friends 
with  words  of  encouragement,  and  making  their  way 
through  the  throng  to  their  own  families';  but  the  precious 
fluid  was  snatched  away  from  many  before  it  could  be  con- 
veyed to  its  destination. 


JOSHUA.  241 

Joshua  and  his  troop  had  made  their  way  to  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  the  wells,  to  keep  order  among  the  thirsty  peo- 
ple. However,  for  some  little  time  there  was  nothing  for 
it  but  patience,  while  the  mighty  men  of  the  tribe  of 
Judah,  who,  with  Hur  at  their  head,  had  been  the  first  to 
reach  the  spot,  wielded  their  axes,  and  strove  with  levers 
hastily  made  out  of  the  trunks  of  acacia  trees  to  clear 
away  the  huge  boulders  which  strewed  the  path,  and  open 
up  the  way  to  the  spring  which  leapt  forth  from  several  rifts 
in  the  rock. 

At  first  it  had  flowed  among  a  chaos  of  moss-grown  blocks 
of  granite ;  but  presently  they  succeeded  in  directing  the 
flow  of  the  precious  fluid,  and  in  checking  the  water  by  form- 
ing a  sort  of  tank  where  even  the  cattle  could  drink.  Those 
who  had  filled  their  jars  had  caught  the  water  in  its  over- 
flow from  the  hastily-contrived  dam.  Now  the  men  whose 
duty  it  was  to  watch  the  camp  kept  the  throng  off,  so  as  to 
give  the  water  time  to  settle  and  clear  in  the  large  new 
basin  which  it  filled  with  amazing  rapidity. 

In  sight  actually  of  the  blessing  for  which  they  had  so 
loudly  clamored,  it  was  easy  now  to  have  patience.  They 
had  found  the  treasure  ;  all  that  was  necessary  was  to 
husband  it.  Not  a  word  of  discontent  or  complaint  or 
reviling  was  now  to  be  heard ;  many  indeed  looked  abashed 
and  ashamed  on  this  new  mercy  from  the  Most  High. 

Loud  and  jubilant  voices  were  heard  far  and  wide, 
shouting  and  talking ;  but  the  man  of  God  who  knew 
every  rock  and  valley,  every  pasture  and  spring  of  the 
hills  of  Horeb  better  than  any  one,  and  who  had  again  been 
the  instrument  of  such  great  blessing  to  his  people,  had 
retired  into  a  neighboring  ravine,  as  if  seeking  refuge  there 
from  the  thanks  and  acclamations  which  rose  louder  and 
spread  further  every  moment,  seeking  peace  and  silence 
above  all  things  for  his  deeply-agitated  spirit. 

Presently  hymns  of  thanksgiving  to  the  Lord  were  to 
be  heard  from  the  Hebrew  multitude,  who,  refreshed  and 
revived,  and  overflowing  with  gratitude,  were  pitching  their 
camp  with  as  much  hope  and  confidence  as  ever  they  had 
known.  The  sound  of  song,  of  happy  laughter,  jests  and 
encouraging  cries,  formed  an  accompaniment  to  the  work 
of  putting  up  tents,  and  the  encampment  was  rapidly 
effected,  as  rapidly  as  if  it  had  been  raised  from  the  earth 
by  a  magic  spell. 

16 


242  JOSHUA. 

The  eyes  of  the  young  men  flashed  with  martial  ardor, 
and  many  a  beast  shed  its  blood  to  make  a  feast. 

Mothers,  after  doing  their  part  by  the  hearth  and 
in  the  tent,  led  their  little  ones  to  the  spring  to  show 
them  the  spot  where  Moses  with  his  staff  had  pointed 
out  the  spring  bubbling  through  the  rift  in  the  granite. 
Many  men  likewise  stood  with  hands  and  eyes  raised 
to  Heaven  round  the  place  where  Jehovah  had  shown 
such  grace  to  His  people,  and  among  them  were  not 
a  few  of  those  murmurers  who  had  picked  up  stones 
wherewith  to  stone  the  servant  of  God.  None  doubted 
that  they  here  beheld  the  result  of  a  great  miracle. 
The  elders  impressed  on  the  little  ones  that  they  should 
never  forget  this  day  or  this  water,  and  an  old  grand- 
mother was  wetting  her  grandchildren's  brows  at  the 
brink  of  the  pool  to  ensure  divine  protection  for  them  for 
the  rest  of  their  lives. 

Hope,  thankfulness  and  the  glow  of  trust  prevailed  on 
all  hands ;  even  the  fear  of  the  hostile  Amalekites  had 
vanished,  for  what  ill  could  come  to  him  who  put  his  trust 
in  the  mercy  of  so  omnipotent  a  Protector. 

Joy  was  absent  from  one  tent  alone,  and  that  the  finest 
of  them — the  tent  of  the  head  of  the  tribe  of  Judah. 
Miriam  sat  among  her  women  after  distributing  the  mid- 
day meal  in  silence  to  the  men  overflowing  with  grateful 
enthusiasm  ;  she  had  heard  from  Milcah's  husband  Reuben 
that  Moses  had  made  Joshua  captain  of  the  Hebrew  tent 
in  the  presence  of  all  the  elders.  Hur,  her  husband,  she 
also  was  told,  had  expressed  himself  ready  and  glad  to 
renounce  the  dignity  in  favor  of  the  son  of  Nun. 

The  prophetess  had  not  chosen  to  join  in  the  people's 
song  of  praise  ;  when  Milcah  and  her  women  had  besought 
her  to  go  with  them  to  the  well,  she  had  bidden  them  go 
without  her.  She  was  now  expecting  her  husband,  and 
wished  to  meet  him  alone ;  she  must  show  him  that  she 
desired  his  forgiveness.  But  he  did  not  come  ;  for,  after 
the  council  of  the  elders  had  broken  up,  he  remained  with 
the  new  captain  to  help  him  to  arrange  his  men,  and  this 
he  did  as  a  subordinate,  obedient  to  Hosea,  who  owed  his 
call  and  his  name  of  Joshua  to  her. 

Her  waiting  women,  who  had  gathered  about  her,  were 
busy  spinning  ;  but  she  could  not  endure  this  humble  toil, 
and  while  she  sat  with  idle  hands  staring  into  vacancy  the 


JOSHUA.  243 

hours  went  slowly  indeed.  And  at  the  same  time  her  pur- 
pose of  humbling  herself  before  her  husband  grew  feebler. 
She  felt  impelled  to  pray  for  strength  to  bow  before  the 
man  who  was  in  truth  her  master ;  but  the  prophetess, 
usually  so  apt  at  fervent  prayer,  could  not  find  the  right  vein 
of  devotion.  If  now  and  then  she  succeeded  in  collecting 
her  thoughts  and  uplifting  her  heart,  something  disturbed 
her.  Every  fresh  report  which  was  brought  to  her  from  the 
camp  added  to  her  displeasure.  When  at  last  dusk  was 
falling,  a  messenger  came  desiring  her  to  have  no  care  for 
the  men's  evening  meal,  which  had  already  been  long 
prepared  and  waiting;  Hur,  with  his  son  and  grandson, 
were  about  to  accept  the  bidding  of  Nun  and  Joshua  to 
share  theirs. 

At  this  she  felt  it  hard  to  restrain  her  tears,  and  if  she  had 
suffered  them  to  flow  unchecked  they  would  have  been  the 
bitter  drops  of  wrath  and  wounded  pride,  not  tears  of 
distress  and  regretful  longing. 

During  the  hours  of  the  evening  watch  the  warriors  all 
marched  past  her,  and  from  rank  to  rank  the  cry  re-echoed 
of  "  Hail  to  Joshua  !  "  And  those  who  repeated  the  watch- 
word, "  Steadfast  and  strong,"  did  so  in  honor  of  the  man 
she  once  had  loved,  but  now  hated  as  she  confessed  to 
herself.  None  but  the  men  of  his  own  tribe  had  honored 
her  husband  with  a  special"  cry.  Was  this  their  gratitude 
for  the  generosity  which  had  led  him  to  abdicate  the  post, 
to  which  he  alone  had  a  right,  in  favor  of  a  younger  man? 
It  cut  her  to  the  heart  to  see  her  husband  so  deposed  ;  but 
it  wounded  her  yet  more  to  find  that  Hur  could  thus 
abandon  his  lately  wedded  wife. 

The  evening  meal  at  the  door  of  the  Ephraimites'  tent 
was  a  long  one.  A  little  before  midnight  she  sent  her 
serving-women  to  bed,  and  lay  down  herself  to  wait  till  her 
husband  should  return,  to  confess  to  him  all  that  had 
troubled  and  angered  her,  and  what  she  most  desired. 

She  thought  that  it  would  be  easy  to  keep  awake  when 
she  was  in  such  anguish  of  mind ;  but  the  great  fatigues 
and  strain  of  the  last  few  days  and  nights  had  told  upon 
her,  and,  in  the  midst  of  a  prayer  for  humility  and  the  love 
of  her  husband,  she  was  overcome  by  sleep.  At  last,  at 
the  hour  of  the  first  morning  watch,  when  day  was  just 
beginning  to  break,  she  was  startled  from  her  slumbers  by 
the  sound  of  the  trumpets  giving  warning  of  immediate 
danger. 


244  JOSHUA. 

She  rose  quickly,  and,  glancing  at  her  husband's  couch, 
saw  that  it  was  empty  ;  still  it  had  been  used,  and  on  the 
sandy  soil — for  mats  were  spread  only  in  the  living-room — 
she  saw  the  traces  of  Hur's  footsteps  by  her  own  bedside. 
He  must  have  stood  close  by  her,  and  perhaps,  while  she 
slept,  have  gazed  tenderly  down  on  her  face. 

This  was  indeed  the  truth  \  her  old  slave-woman  told 
her  so  unasked.  For  after  she  had  roused  Hur  she  had 
seen  him  carefully  shading  the  lamp  while  he  looked  on 
Miriam's  face,  and  bent  over  her  for  some  minutes,  as 
though  he  would  have  kissed  her. 

This  was  good  hearing,  and  rejoiced  the  lonely  wife  so 
greatly  that  she  forgot  her  usual  calm  dignity  and  pressed 
her  lips  to  the  wrinkled  brow  of  the  little  bent  old  woman, 
who  had  done  service  of  yore  to  her  parents.  Then  she 
hastily  bid  her  maids  to  braid  her  hair  and  dress  her  in  a 
holiday  robe  of  light  blue  which  Hur  had  given  her,  and 
hastened  forth  to  take  leave  of  him. 

Meanwhile  the  troops  had  formed  in  order.  The  tents 
were  being  struck,  and  Miriam  sought  her  husband  for  a 
long  time  in  vain.  At  last  she  found  him  ;  but  he  was 
deeply  engaged  in  talk  with  Joshua,  and,  as  she  caught  sight 
of  the  captain,  the  prophetess  shuddered  with  a  sudden 
chill,  nor  could  she  persuade  herself  to  address  the  men. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

A  hard  battle  must  be  fought,  for,  as  the  spies  reported, 
the  Amalekites  had  been  joined  by  other  desert-tribes. 
Nevertheless,  the  Israelites  were  still  almost  twice  their 
number ;  but  how  far  inferior  in  warlike  skill  were  Joshua's 
troops  to  their  opponents,  inured  to  battle  and  ambush. 
The  foe  came  up  from  the  south,  from  the  oasis  at  the  foot 
of  the  Sacred  Mountain  which  was  the  primaeval  home  of 
their  race,  their  foster  mother,  their  beloved,  their  all,  and 
to  them  well  worth  shedding  the  last  drop  for. 

Joshua,  now  the  captain,  recognized  by  Moses  and 
all  the  people  as  leader  of  the  Hebrew  fighting-men,  led 
his  newly-formed  army  to  the  widest  portion  of  the  valley, 
as  this  allowed  him  to  take  the  utmost  advantage  of  their 
superior  numbers.     The  camp  was  removed  by  his  orders, 


JOSHUA.  245 

and  pitched  in  a  narrower  place  at  the  northern  end  of 
the  valley  of  Rephidim,  in  which  the  struggle  must  be 
fought  out,  as  this  made  it  easier  to  defend  the  tents.  He 
left  the  command  of  the  camp  and  of  the  men  told  off  to 
protect  it  to  the  prudent  care  of  his  father. 

He  had  wished  to  leave  Moses  and  all  the  elders  of  the 
tribes  safe,  within  the  precincts  of  the  camp,  but  their  great 
leader  had  gone  forward  with  Hur  and  Aaron,  and  climbed 
a  peak  of  granite  where  they  could  look  down  upon  the 
fight.  Thus  the  fighting-men  could  see  Moses  and  his  two 
companions  on  the  cliff  which  commanded  the  top  of  the 
valley,  and  feel  assured  that  the  servant  of  the  Lord  would 
not  cease  to  beseech  Him  to  spare  them  and  give  them  the 
victory.  But  every  simple  man  in  that  host,  and  every 
woman  and  old  man  in  the  camp,  in  that  hour  of  peril 
turned  to  the  God  of  their  fathers,  and  the  rallying-cry 
chosen  by  Joshua,  "  Jehovah,  our  Refuge,"  bound  the 
hearts  of  the  warriors  to  the  ruler  of  the  battle,  and 
reminded  the  most  faint-hearted  and  unskilled  among 
the  fighting-men  that  he  could  not  take  a  step  nor  deal  a 
blow,  but  the  Lord  would  mark  it. 

The  trumpets  and  cow-horns  of  the  Hebrew  host  rang 
out  louder  and  louder,  for  the  Amalekites  were  pouring 
down  on  the  level  ground  which  was  to  be  the  field  of 
battle. 

It  was  a  strange  scene  for  such  a  struggle,  such  as  no 
experienced  captain  would  ever  willingly  have  chosen,  for 
it  was  shut  in  on  both  sides  by  steep  grey  cliffs  of  granite 
towering  up  to  heaven.  If  the  foe  should  win,  the  camp, 
too,  must  be  lost,  and  any  benefit  to  be  derived  from  know- 
ledge of  warfare  must  here  be  displayed  within  the  smallest 
conceivable  space.  To  circumvent  the  enemy  or  surprise 
him  in  flank  seemed  quite  impossible  ;  but  even  the  rocks 
were  turned  to  account  by  the  leader,  for  wherever  it  was 
possible  he  had  made  his  best  slingers  and  archers  climb 
up  them  to  no  great  height,  and  instructed  them  to  watch 
for  a  sign  at  which  they  should  mingle  in  the  fight. 

At  the  first  glance  Joshua  perceived  that  he  had  not 
overrated  the  foe,  for  those  who  began  the  battle  were 
bearded  men,  with  clearly  cut,  manly  faces,  out  of  which 
their  black  eyes  glowed  at  the  enemy  with  wild  and  blood- 
thirsty hatred.  And  every  man,  like  their  leader  himself, 
a  grey-haired  man  of  many  scars,  was  spare  and  supple  of 


246  JOSHUA. 

limb.  They  wielded  ihe  curved  sabre,  the  javelin  of  heavy 
sharpened  wood,  and  the  lance  ornamented  with  a  tuft  of 
camel's  hair,  like  practiced  warriors,  and  the  war-cry  rang 
out  loud,  cruel  and  death-defying  from  the  deep  hearts  of 
these  men,  who  felt  that  they  must  die  or  see  their  dearest 
possession  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 

At  the  first  onslaught  Joshua  led  forward  the  men 
whom  he  had  armed  with  the  large  Egyptian  shields  and 
lances,  and  these,  fired  by  their  valiant  leader,  made  a  good 
stand,  particularly  as  the  narrow  defile  into  the  field  of 
battle  hindered  their  wild  opponents  from  taking  full 
advantage  of  their  superior  numbers.  But  when  the  men 
on  foot  presently  withdrew,  and  a  troop  of  warriors  or 
dromedaries  rushed  down  on  the  Hebrews,  many  of  them 
were  scared  at  the  strange  sight  of  these  creatures,  known 
to  them  only  by  description.  They  cast  away  their  shields 
and  fled  with  loud  outcries,  and  wherever  a  gap  was  made 
the  riders  drove  in  their  dromedaries  and  thrust  down  at 
the  foe  with  their  long  sharp  javelins.  At  this  the  herdsmen, 
unused  to  such  an  attack,  thought  only  of  saving  them- 
selves, and  many  turned  to  fly,  for  sudden  terror  seized  them 
as  they  saw  the  flaming  eyes,  and  heard  the  shrill,  malignant 
cry  of  the  enraged  Amalekite  women,  who  had  rushed  into 
the  fight  to  add  fuel  to  their  husbands'  courage  and  terrify 
the  enemy.  They  held  on  to  the  humped  brutes  by  leathern 
straps  hanging  down  from  the  saddle,  which  they  clutched 
in  their  left  hands,  and  allowed  themselves  to  be  dragged 
whithersoever  the  riders  went.  Hatred  seemed  to  have 
steeled  each  female  heart  against  fear  of  death,  compassion 
and  womanly  feeling;  and  the  hideous  cry  of  these 
Megaeras  broke  the  spirit  of  many  a  brave  Hebrew. 

But  no  sooner  did  their  captain  see  them  give  way  than 
he  took  advantage  of  the  disaster,  and  bid  them  retire  and 
allow  the  savage  foe  to  enter  the  valley  ;  for  he  said  to 
himself  that  the  superior  numbers  of  his  men  could  be 
turned  to  better  account  as  soon  as  they  had  the  oppor- 
tunity of  pressing  on  the  foe  from  both  flanks  as  well  as  in 
front,  and  when  the  slingers  and  archers  could  take  their 
part  in  the  fight. 

Ephraim  and  the  bravest  of  his  comrades,  who  remained 
with  him  as  runners,  were  now  sent  back  to  the  northern 
end  of  the  valley,  to  tell  the  leaders  of  the  ranks  posted 
there  what  Joshua  proposed,  and  to  order  them  to  advance. 


JOSHUA.  247 

The  swift-footed  shepherd  lads  vanished  as  nimbly  as 
gazelles ;  and  it  soon  was  seen  that  their  captain  had  hit 
on  the  right  plan ;  for  no  sooner  had  the  Amalekites 
reached  the  middle  of  the  valley  than  the  Hebrews  fell 
upon  them  from  all  sides  ;  several  who  were  bravely  rush- 
ing forward  fell  in  the  sand  as  they  brandished  the  sword 
or  spear,  hit  by  a  round  pebble  or  a  sharp  arrow  from 
sling  or  bow. 

Moses,  meanwhile,  kept  his  place  on  the  cliff  overlooking 
the  battle-field,  with  Aaron  and  Hur.  From  thence  he 
watched  the  fight  in  which  he,  who  had  grown  grey  in 
peaceful  pursuits,  could  take  part  only  with  heart  and  soul. 
Not  a  movement,  not  a  sword  raised  or  dropped  among 
friends  or  foes,  escaped  his  keen  eye  ;  but  when  the  fray 
had  fairly  begun,  and  the  captain,  with  wise  forethought, 
had  opened  a  way  for  the  enemy  into  the  midst  of  his  own 
fighting-men,  Hur  exclaimed  to  the  grey-headed  man  of 
God :  "  My  wife,  your  sister's  lofty  spirit  has  indeed 
discerned  the  truth.  The  son  of  Nun  belies  the  call  of  the 
Most  High.  AVhat  is  this  ?  We  are  the  superior  force,  and 
yet  the  enemy  makes  his  way  unhindered  into  the  very 
heart  of  our  host.  As  the  waters  of  the  Red  Sea  stood 
aside  at  the  word  of  the  Lord,  so  do  our  ranks, — and,  as 
it  would  seem,  by  their  leader's  bidding." 

"  Only  to  swallow  up  Amalek  as  the  waves  of  the  sea 
swallowed  up  the  Egyptians,"  was  Moses' reply.  _ 

Then  he  lifted  up  his  hands  to  Heaven  and  cried  : 

"  Look  down,  Jehovah,  on  Thy  people,  who  are  in  fresh 
straits.  Strengthen  the  arm  and  give  sight  to  the  eyes  of 
him  whom  Thou  hast  chosen  to  be  Thy  sword.  Send  him 
the  succor  Thou  didst  promise  him  when  Thou  didst 
name  him  Joshua  instead  of  Hosea  !  And  if  Thou  dost 
no  more  suffer  him  to  prove  himself  steadfast  and  strong 
as  beseems  the  captain  of  Thy  choice,  then  do  Thou,  with 
the  hosts  of  Heaven,  set  Thyself  at  the  head  of  Thy  people 
that  they  may  put  their  enemies  to  flight  !  " 

Thus  the  man  of  God  besought  the  Lord  with  hands 
lifted  on  high,  and  ceased  not  to  entreat  Jehovah  and  cry  to 
Him  whose  mighty  will  ruled  His  people  ;  and  presently 
Aaron  whispered  to  him  that  the  foe  was  hard  beset,  and 
that  the  courage  of  the  Israelites  was  proving  itself  nobly. 
Joshua  was  now  here  and  now  there,  and  the  ranks  of  the 
enemy  were  visibly  thinner,  while  those  of  the   Hebrews 


248  JOSHUA. 

seemed  to  multiply.  And  Hur  confirmed  this  report,  and 
added  that  the  untiring  zeal  and  heroic  contempt  of  death 
of  the  son  of  Nun  were  beyond  all  praise.  He  had,  as  at 
that  moment,  felled  one  of  the  wildest  of  the  Amalekites 
with  his  battle-axe. 

At  this  Moses  breathed  more  freely.  His  arms  fell  by 
his  side,  and  he  eagerly  watched  the  course  of  the  fight 
which  was  surging  and  raging,  tossing  and  waving  at  his 
feet. 

The  sun  had  by  this  time  reached  its  noon,  and  shone 
down  on  the  combatants  with  scorching  fires.  The  grey 
granite  walls  of  the  valley  glowed  with  intenser  heat  every 
hour,  and  the  sweat  had  long  since  stood  on  the  brows 
of  the  three  men  on  the  rock.  What,  then,  must  the 
heat  be  below,  adding  to  the  labor  of  struggling  and 
wrestling  ?  How  sorely  must  the  wounds  ache  of  the  bleed- 
ing wretches  lying  there  in  the  sand  ! 

Moses  felt  it  all  as  though  he  himself  were  suffering  it, 
for  his  immovably  steadfast  soul  was  rich  in  compassion, 
and  he  bore  this  people,  who  were  of  his  own  flesh  and 
blood,  and  for  whom  he  lived  and  labored,  in  his  heart  as 
a  father  does  his  child.  The  wounds  inflicted  on  his 
brethren  pained  him  ;  yet  his  heart  beat  high  with  proud 
gladness  as  he  beheld  how  those  whose  cowardly  subjection 
had  but  a  short  while  since  so  greatly  fired  his  wrath  had 
learned  the  arts  of  attack  and  defence.  Now  one  band  of 
young  Hebrews  after  another  rushed  on  the  enemy  with 
loud  cries  of  "  Jehovah,  our  Refuge  !  " 

In  Joshua's  proud,  heroic  form  he  saw  the  posterity  of 
Israel  as  he  dreamed  and  hoped  it  might  be,  and  he  now 
no  longer  doubted  that  the  Lord  had  indeed  called  Joshua  to 
be  the  captain  of  his  people.  Rarely  had  his  large  com- 
manding look  flashed  more  brightly  than  at  this  moment. 

But  what  was  that  ? 

A  cry  of  horror  broke  from  Aaron's  lips,  and  Hur  started 
to  his  feet  and  gazed  anxiously  towards  the  north  ;  for 
from  the  spot  where  the  people's  tents  were  pitched  came 
a  fresh  battle-cry,  mingling  with  loud  and  lamentable 
shrieks,  not,  as  it  seemed,  from  the  men  alone  but  from 
women  and  children.  The  enemy  had  surprised  the 
camp. 

A  troop  of  the  Amalekites  had  been  detached  from  the 
main  body  long  before   the  battle   had  begun,   and  had 


JOSHUA.  249 

made  their  way  round  by  a  mountain  defile,  known  only  to 
themselves. 

At  this  Hur  thought  of  his  young  wife,  and  a  vision  rose 
before  Aaron's  mind  of  Elisheba,  his  faithful  spouse,  of  his 
children  and  grandchildren  ;  and  both  with  beseeching  eyes 
dumbly  entreated  Moses  to  allow  them  to  fly  to  the  rescue 
of  those  dearest  to  them  ;  but  the  austere  chief  refused, 
and  kept  them  with  him. 

Then,  again,  standing  up,  he  raised  his  heart  and  hands 
once  more  to  Heaven.  With  fervent  prayer  he  cried  to  the 
Lord,  and  ceased  not  his  entreaties ;  as  the  minutes  went 
on  the  more  ardent  was  his  beseeching,  for  all  that  the 
Hebrew  host  had  won  they  now  seemed  to  be  losing. 
Every  glance  at  the  battle-field,  everything  his  companions 
told  him,  while,  with  spirit  uplifted  to  the  Lord  his  God, 
he  stood  blind  and  deaf  to  the  scene  below,  added  to  the 
burden  of  his  woes. 

Joshua  had  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  a  strong  party 
of  men  and  withdrawn  from  the  fray,  and  with  him  were 
Bezaleel,  Hur's  grandson,  Aholiab,  his  favorite  comrade, 
young  Ephraim  and  Reuben,  Milcah's  husband.  It  was 
with  a  heart  full  of  blessing  that  Hur  had  marked  them 
retire,  for  they  could  only  have  quitted  the  fight  in  order 
to  succor  the  camp.  He  listened  with  eager  ears  to  the 
sounds  from  the  north,  as  though  he  divined  how  deeply 
he  was  interested  in  the  broken  cries  and  lamentations 
which  came  up  from  the  tents  on  the  breeze. 

Old  Nun  had  taken  up  arms  against  the  troop  of  Ama- 
lekites  who  had  fallen  on  the  camp  and  had  fought  valiantly, 
but  when  he  perceived  that  the  men  whom  Joshua  had  left 
under  his  command  could  no  longer  stand  against  the 
onslaught  of  the  foe,  he  sent  to  crave  reinforcement  of  the 
captain.  Joshua  forthwith  entrusted  the  further  conduct 
of  the  battle  to  Nahshon,  the  second  chief  of  the  tribe  of 
Judah,  and  to  Uri,  the  son  of  Hur,  who  had  distinguished 
himself  by  his  courage  and  forethought,  and  hastened  with 
other  chosen  men  to  help  his  father. 

He  had  not  lost  a  moment,  and  yet  the  fight  was  already 
decided  by  the  time  he  reached  the  scene  of  the  struggle  ; 
for,  as  he  approached  the  camp,  the  Amalekites  had  broken 
through  his  father's  line  of  defence,  and  cut  him  off  from 
the  tents  on  which  they  were  rushing. 

First,  then,  Joshua  rescued  the  brave  old  man  from  the 


250  JOSHUA. 

foe,  and  next  he  had  to  drive  the  sons  of  the  desert  away 
from  the  camp  ;  this  gave  rise  to  a  sharp  struggle,  man  to 
man,  and  hand  to  hand,  and  he  himself  could  be  in  but 
one  spot  at  a  time,  and  must  need  leave  it  to  the  younger 
fighting-men  to  act  for  themselves,  each  in  his  own  place. 

Here,  too,  he  raised  the  cry,  "  Jehovah,  our  Refuge  !  " 
and  rushed,  shouting  these  words,  into  Ilur's  tent,  which 
was  the  first  to  be  seized  by  the  enemy,  and  round  which 
the  battle  was  fiercest.  Many  corpses  already  strewed  the 
ground  at  the  entrance,  and  furious  Amalekites  were 
struggling  with  a  party  of  Hebrews,  while  from  within 
came  wild  screams  of  terror. 

He  sprang  across  the  threshold  with  winged  feet,  and 
beheld  a  spectacle  which  filled  even  the  unflinching  man 
with  terror,  for,  on  the  left  of  the  large  room  it  formed, 
Hebrews  and  Amalekites  were  rolling  on  the  blood-stained 
mats  in  a  furious  struggle,  white  on  the  right  he  saw 
Miriam  and  her  waiting  women,  whose  hands  the  men  of 
the  desert  had  tied.  The  men  had  meant  to  carry  them 
off  as  precious  plunder,  but  an  Amalekite  woman,  frenzied 
with  hatred,  revenge  and  jealousy,  and  eager  to  sacrifice 
the  strange  woman  to  the  flames,  was  blowing  the  brands 
on  the  hearth,  and,  by  waving  the  veil  she  had  snatched 
from  Miriam's  head,  had  fanned  them  to  a  considerable 
blaze. 

A  fearful  tumult  filled  the  confined  space  as  Joshua 
rushed  into  the  tent ;  on  one  side  the  yells  of  the  strug- 
gling men,  while  on  the  other  the  prophetess'  women 
set  up  a  succession  of  loud  shrieks  for  rescue  and  deliver- 
ance as  soon  as  they  saw  him  coming.  Their  mistress, 
as  pale  as  death,  knelt  at  the  feet  of  the  Amalekite  chief, 
whose  wife  was  threatening  them  with  death  by  fire.  She 
stared  at  their  deliverer  as  though  a  spirit  had  started  out 
of  the  earth  before  her  eyes,  and  the  scenes  which  followed 
stamped  themselves  on  Miriam's  memory  as  a  series 
of  horrible  and  disconnected,  but  never-to-be-forgotten 
images. 

First,  the  Amalekite  chief  who  had  bound  her  was  a 
strange  but  heroic  figure.  With  his  swarthy  skin  and  high 
hooked  nose,  he  resembled  an  eagle  01  his  native  mountains  j 
his  beard  was  black,  his  eyes  were  aflame.  But  ere  long 
he  was  to  measure  his  strength  with  another — with  the  man 
who  once  had  been  dear  to  her  heart.     She  had  often  com* 


JOSHUA.  251 

pared  him  with  a  Hon,  but  never  had  he  seemed  more  like 
the  king  of  the  desert. 

They  were  both  mighty  men  and  strong.  No  one  could 
have  predicted  which  of  them  must  yield  to  the  other, 
which  must  win  the  victory  ;  and  it  was  her  fate  to  witness 
the  struggle,  for  already  the  fiery  son  of  the  desert  had 
shouted  his  war-cry  and  rushed  upon  the  more  cautious 
Hebrew. 

That  no  man  may  live  if  his  heart  stops  beating  for  so 
much  as  a  minute  every  child  must  know,  and  yet  Miriam 
was  certain  that  hers  had  stood  still,  rigid  and  turned  to 
stone,  when  the  lion  rushed  into  peril  to  destroy  the  eagle, 
and  the  Amalekite's  bright  knife  flashed  forth,  and  she 
saw  the  blood  flowing  from  her  champion's  shoulder. 

But  then  her  heart  began  to  beat  again,  nay,  and  faster 
than  ever  before,  for  suddenly  the  lion-hearted  warrior., 
whom  she  had  so  lately  hated  with  such  hatred,  was  once 
more,  as  by  a  miracle,  the  friend  of  her  childhood  again. 
Love  had  waked  up  with  the  sound  of  trumpets  and 
cymbals,  and  marched  in  triumph  into  her  heart,  lately  so 
desolate  and  forlorn.  All  that  had  held  them  apart  was 
suddenly  forgotten  and  buried,  and  never  were  more 
fervent  appeals  addressed  to  the  Most  High  than  in  the 
brief  prayer  which  went  up  from  her  agonized  soul.  And 
as  her  pleading  was  fervent,  so  was  it  immediately  an- 
swered, for  the  eagle  was  down  and  his  soaring  for  ever 
ended  under  the  superior  strength  of  the  lion. 

All  was  dark  for  awhile  before  Miriam's  eyes,  and  it  was 
as  in  a  dream  that  she  felt  the  cords  which  bound  her 
wrists  and  ankles  cut  by  Ephraim.  Then  she  soon  recov- 
ered consciousness,  and  beheld  at  her  feet  the  bleeding 
corpse  of  the  vanquished  chief,  and  in  other  parts  of  the 
tent  many  bodies  and  wounded  men,  among  them  several 
of  her  husband's  slaves.  By  them,  stalwart  and  victorious, 
stood  the  brave  fighting-men  of  her  nation,  with  the  noble 
and  reverend  figure  of  Nun,  and  Joshua,  whose  wounds  his 
father  was  binding  up. 

This  task  she  felt  should  have  been  hers,  and  hers  alone  ; 
and  deep  grief  and  burning  shame  came  over  her  as  she 
remembered  how  greatly  she  had  sinned  against  this  man. 
She  knew  not  how  she  could  repay  him,  on  whom  she  had 
brought  such  deep  sorrow,  all  she  owed  him.  Her  whole 
heart  longed  *o  hear  some  word  of  forgiveness  from  his  lips; 


252  JOSHUA. 

and  she  went  towards  him  on  her  knees  across  the  blood- 
stained  ground  ;  but  the  prophetess  eloquent  lips  were 
dumb  ;  she  could  not  find  the  right  word,  till  suddenly  the 
imploring  cry  rose  loud  from  her  oppressed  breast : 
"  Joshua  !  O  Joshua  !  I  have  sinned  against  you  indeed, 
and  will  repent  of  it  all  my  life  long,  but  do  not  scorn  my 
thanks.  Do  not  repel  me  from  you,  and,  if  you  can,  forgive 
me  !  " 

She  could  not  have  uttered  another  word  ;  but  then — and 
this  again  she  never  forgot — his  eyes  had  overflowed  with 
scalding  tears,  and  he  had  raised  her  from  the  ground  with 
irresistible  strength,  and  yet  with  a  hand  as  gentle  as  a 
mother's  when  her  child  has  had  a  fall,  and  from  his  lips 
came  mild  and  friendly  words,  promising  full  forgiveness. 
The  mere  pressure  of  his  hand  was  enough  to  show  her  that 
he  was  no  longer  wroth  with  her,  as  she  heard  his  assur- 
ance that  the  name  of  Joshua  could  not  fall  more  sweetly 
on  his  ear  from  any  lips  than  from  hers. 

Then  with  the  cry  "Jehovah,  our  Refuge  !"  he  turned 
from  her  ;  but  his  clear  shout,  and  the  enthusiastic  battle- 
cry  of  his  followers  rang  in  her  ears  long  after. 

At  last  all  was  still  once  more,  and  she  only  knew  that 
never  before  nor  after  had  she  wept  so  passionately  or  so 
bitterly  as  in  that  hour.  Moreover,  she  had  made  two 
solemn  vows  to  the  God  who  had  called  her  to  be  His 
handmaid.  But  the  two  men  whom  they  most  concerned 
were  meanwhile  in  the  thick  of  the  tumult  of  battle. 

One  had  led  his  men  back  from  the  rescued  camp  to 
meet  the  foe  once  more  ;  the  other,  by  the  side  of  the  leader 
of  the  multitude,  was  watching  the  varying  movements  of 
the  still  furious  fight. 

Joshua  found  his  followers  hardly  pressed.  In  one  place 
they  were  giving  way,  in  another  they  were  making  but  a 
half-hearted  stand  against  the  sons  of  the  desert.  Hur,  too, 
was  looking  down  with  increasing  and  double  anxiety  on 
the  course  of  the  battle,  for  in  the  camp  he  pictured  his 
wife  and  father  in  peril,  and  below  him  his  son.  His  fatherly 
heart  quaked  when  he  beheld  Uri  giving  way,  but  when  he 
made  a  fresh  onslaught,  and  by  a  well-directed  attack 
broke  the  ranks  of  the  enemy,  he  held  up  his  head  again, 
and  longed  to  be  able  to  shout  a  word  of  praise  that  he 
could  hear.  But  what  car  could  be  sharp  enough  to  hear 
a  single  voice  above  the  clatter  of  weapons  and  mingled 


JOSHUA,  255 

battle-cries,  the  shrieking  of  the  women  and  the  wailing  of 
the  wounded,  the  surly  grunting  of  the  camels,  the  blare  of 
trumpets  and  horns  ? 

And  now  the  foremost  of  the  Amalekites  had  forced 
their  way,  like  the  thin  end  of  a  wedge,  into  the  furthest 
ranks  of  the  Hebrews.  If  they  should  succeed  in  breaking 
open  a  gap  for  those  behind  them,  and  effect  a  junction 
with  those  who  had  attacked  the  camp,  the  battle  was  lost 
and  the  fate  of  the  Israelites  was  sealed ;  for  still  another 
horde  of  Amalekites  were  in  reserve  at  the  southern  end  of 
the  valley,  who  had  not  yet  had  any  fighting,  and  who 
seemed  to  be  intended  to  Drotect  the  oasis  from  the  foe  in 
the  last  extremity. 

But  here  was  a  fresh  surprise. 

The  men  of  the  desert  had  made  their  way  so  far  for- 
ward that  the  slingers  and  bowmen  could  scarcely  hit  one  of 
them,  and  if  these  were  not  to  remain  idle  they  must  be 
ordered  down  to  the  scene  of  the  struggle. 

Hur  might  have  called  in  vain  to  Uri  to  remember 
these  men  and  give  them  some  fresh  occupation,  but  sud- 
denly a  youth  made  his  appearance,  coming  from  the  end 
by  the  encampment,  a  lad  as  nimble  as  a  mountain-goat, 
scrambling  and  leaping  from  crag  to  crag.  As  soon  as  he 
reached  the  first  man  he  spoke  to  him,  gave  a  signal  to 
those  beyond,  who  again  repeated  it  to  the  next,  and 
finally  they  all  descended  into  the  valley  and  climbed  the 
western  cliff  as  far  as  a  spot  where  some  men  were  stand- 
ing ;  there  they  vanished  as  utterly  as  though  the  rocks 
had  swallowed  them.  The  youth  who  led  the  slingers  and 
bowmen  was  Ephraim.  A  patch  of  shadow  on  the  face  of 
the  rock  was,  no  doubt,  the  opening  into  a  ravine,  and 
through  this  the  men  were  to  be  led  whom  Joshua  had  sent 
for  to  succor  the  camp.  So  thought  Hur,  and  not  he  alone 
but  Aaron  likewise,  and  again  Hur  began  to  doubt  whe- 
ther the  Lord  were  indeed  with  Joshua,  for  the  men  who 
were  to  be  of  use  at  the  tents  were  lost  to  the  troops  which 
it  was  now  the  duty  of  his  son  and  of  his  comrade  Nahshon 
to  command. 

The  fight  round  the  camp  had  already  lasted  above  an 
hour,  and  Moses  had  not  ceased  to  beseech  the  Lord  with 
hands  uplifted  to  Heaven,when  the  Amalekites  made  a  great 
rush  forward.  At  this  the  leader  of  his  people  collected  all 
his  strength  for  a  new  appeal  to  the  Almighty  ;  but  he  was 


254  JOSHUA. 

much  exhausted,  his  knees  shook  and  his  weary  arms  fell 
by  his  sides.  But  his  spirit  had  all  its  fire  and  his  heart 
all  its  fervent  desire  not  to  cease  from  entreating  Him  who 
is  the  Ruler  of  battles.  The  leader  of  his  people  must  not 
be  idle  during  the  struggle,  and  his  weapon  was  prayer. 
Like  a  child  which  will  not  cense  from  beseeching  its  mother 
till  she  has  granted  him  that  which  it  unselfishly  demands 
for  its  brethren,  Moses  importuned  the  Almighty,  who 
had  hitherto  shown  Himself  to  be  a  Father  to  him  and 
the  Hebrew  folk,  and  saving  them  as  by  a  miracle  from 
the  greatest  perils. 

But  his  frame  was  faint,  so  he  called  on  his  companions, 
and  they  pushed  forward  a  block  of  stone  on  which  he 
might  sit,  while  he  besieged  the  heart  of  the  Lord  with 
more  and  yet  more  prayers.  There  he  sat ;  and  when  his 
weary  limbs  refused  their  service  his  soul  still  answered  to 
his  call,  and  went  up  as  in  a  flame  to  the  Ruler  of  the  des- 
tinies of  man.  But  his  arms  grew  more  and  more  feeble, 
and  dropped  at  last  as  if  weighed  down  by  heavy  masses 
of  lead,  although  it  had  for  years  been  his  habit  to  raise 
them  heavenwards  when  he  cried  fervently  to  God  on 
high. 

This  his  comrades  knew,  and  they  thought  they  had  per- 
ceived that,  as  often  as  their  great  chief's  hands  sank,  the 
sons  of  Amalek  gained  some  new  advantage.  Then  they 
diligently  held  up  his  arms,  the  one  on  the  right  hand  and 
the  other  on  the  left ;  and  although  the  mighty  man  could 
no  longer  appeal  to  Heaven  in  intelligible  words,  and  his 
giant's  frame  swayed  to  and  fro,  and  more  than  once  he 
felt  as  though  the  stone  on  which  he  sat,  the  valley  below 
him  and  the  whole  world  were  in  movement,  still  his  eyes 
and  hands  were  raised  on  high. 

Not  for  an  instant  did  he  cease  calling  on  the  Most 
High  till,  on  a  sudden,  from  the  camp  there  came  up  glad 
shouts  of  victory,  which  echoed  loudly  from  the  rocky 
walls  of  the  gorge.  Joshua  had  returned  to  th*  field  of 
battle,  and  at  the  head  of  his  troops  rushed  on  the  enemy 
with  irresistible  fury. 

From  this  moment  the  struggle  assumed  a  new  aspect. 
The  decision,  indeed,  was  still  doubtful.  Moses,  supported 
on  either  side,  dared  not  cease  to  uplift  his  heart  and  his 
hands,  but  at  last,  at  last,  the  final  struggle  was  over.  The 
ranks  of  the  Amalekites  gave  way,  and  presently  they  fled, 


JOSHUA.  255 

broken  and  panic-stricken,  to  the  northern  pass  by  which 
they  had  entered  the  valley.  And  even  from  thence  the 
cry  came  np  from  a  thousand  throats  :  "  Jehovah,  our 
Refuge  !  "  "  Victory  !  Victory  !  " 

At  this  the  man  of  God  let  his  arms  fall  from  the  sup- 
porting shoulders  of  his  companions,  stood  up,  tall  and 
strong,  crying  with  renewed  and  wonderfully  revived 
energy  :  "  I  thank  Thee,  my  God  and  Lord  !  Jehovah, 
our  Refuge  !  Thy  people  are  saved  !  "  But  then  his  sight 
grew  dark  from  exhaustion. 

However,  he  presently  looked  up  again,  and  saw 
Ephraim  pressing  close  on  the  Amalekites,  who  had  taken 
their  stand  at  the  southern  defile,  with  his  slingers  and 
bowmen,  while  Joshua  drove  the  main  body  of  the  desert- 
tribes  backwards  towards  their  vanquished  brethren. 

The  captain  had  heard  from  a  deserter  of  a  pass  by 
which  good  climbers  could  reach  a  gorge  leading  out  on 
the  northern  end  of  the  battle-field,  and  Ephraim,  in  obe- 
dience to  his  command,  had  led  the  archers  and  slingers 
along  this  difficult  path,  and  fallen  on  the  rear  of  the  last 
band  of  the  enemy  who  could  still  have  made  any  stand. 
Thus  attacked  from  both  sides,  their  ranks  thinned,  and 
their  courage  quelled,  the  sons  of  Amalek  gave  up  the 
struggle  ;  and  now  it  was  seen  how  these  children  of  the 
desert  and  dwellers  among  the  highlands  could  use  their 
legs,  for  at  a  sign  from  their  leader  they  first  killed  their 
dromedaries,  and  then  fled  in  all  directions  like  feathers 
scattered  by  the  wind.  They  climbed  steep  cliffs  which 
looked  inaccessible  to  man  like  the  nimblest  lizards,  on 
their  hands  and  feet ;  but  a  great  many  escaped  by  the 
ravine  which  the  deserter  had  betrayed  to  Joshua. 


CHAPTER    XXVIII. 

The  larger  half  of  the  Amalekites  lay  dead  or  wounded  on 
the  field  of  battle,  and  the  Hebrew  captain  knew  that  the 
other  desert  tribes  who  had  joined  them  had,  as  was  their 
custom,  abandoned  their  slain,  and  would  retire  to  their 
own  haunts.  At  the  same  time  it  was  not  impossible  that 
despair  might  give  the  fugitives  courage  not  to  allow  their 
oasis  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Hebrews  without  a  final 
contest. 


256  JOSHUA. 

However,  Joshua's  men  were  too  much  exhausted  for  it 
to  he  possible  to  lead  them  any  further  at  this  moment. 
He  himself  had  lost  some  blood  from  several  slight 
wounds,  and  the  great  exertions  of  the  last  few  days  had 
made  their  mark  even  on  his  iron  frame. 

Besides  this,  the  sun,  which  had  not  long  risen  when  the 
strife  began,  was  already  sinking  to  rest,  and  if  they  were 
to  force  their  way  through  to  the  oasis  it  would  not  be 
advisable  to  do  battle  in  the  dark.  What  he  and,  even 
more,  his  brave  followers  most  needed  was  rest  till  the 
next  day's  dawn. 

All  about  him  he  saw  none  but  glad  faces,  beaming 
with  proud  self-reliance,  and  when  he  dismissed  the 
ranks  to  retire  to  the  camp  and  rejoice  with  those  dear 
to  them  over  the  victory,  the  troops,  which  had  marched 
past  wearily  and  slowly,  broke  out  in  shouts  of  joy,  as 
clear  and  glad  as  though  they  had  quite  forgotten  the 
fatigues  which  had  bowed  their  heads  and  weighted  their 
feet. 

"  Hail  to  Joshua  !  Hail  to  the  Conqueror  !  "  re-echoed 
from  cliff  to  cliff  long  after  the  last  of  the  troops  was  lost 
to  sight.  But  more  clearly  still  did  the  words  ring  in  his 
heart  in  which  Moses  had  thanked  him,  for  they  had 
been  •:  "  Verily  as  the  sword  of  the  Most  High,  steadfast 
and  strong,  hast  thou  fought  the  fight.  So  long  as  the 
Lord  is  thy  Helper  and  Jehovah  our  Refuge,  we  need  fear 
no  enemies  !  " 

He  fancied  he  still  could  feel  on  his  brow  and  head  the 
kiss  of  the  great  leader,  the  man  of  God,  who  had  clasped 
him  to  his  heart  before  all  the  people,  and  it  was  not  a 
smalfthing  to  control  the  violent  agitation  which  disturbed 
him  at  the  end  of  this  all-important  day. 

A  strong  desire  to  stand  clear  in  his  own  eyes  before 
mingling  with  the  jubilant  throng,  or  meeting  his  father, 
to  whom  a  share  in  every  great  emotion  that  stirred  his 
soul  was  due,  prompted  him  to  linger  on  the  field  of 
battle.  This  was  now  a  scene  where  gloom  and  horror  held 
sway,  for  those  who  lingered  here  besides  himself  were 
detained  by  death  or  mortal  wounds. 

The  ravens  which  had  followed  the  pilgrims  were  soar- 
ing above  the  bodies,  and  already  venturing  to  settle  on  the 
rich  banquet  spread  before  them.  The  scent  of  blood  had 
brought  the  beasts  of  prey  out  of  their  coverts  in  the  hills 


JOSHUA.  257 

and  rocks,  and  their  greedy  howl  or  bark  was  to  be  heard 
on  every  side. 

Then  when  darkness  followed  on  dusk,  lights  began  to 
flit  about  over  the  blood-drenched  ground.  They  guided 
the  slaves  and  those  who  missed  one  dear  to  them  to  dis- 
criminate between  friend  and  foe,  the  wounded  and  the 
dead  ;  and  many  a  cry  of  anguish  from  those  who  were 
badly  hurt  rose  up  amid  the  croaking  of  the  birds  of  prey 
and  the  yells  of  the  ravening  jackals  and  hyaenas,  foxes 
and  tiger-cats. 

But  Joshua  knew  the  horrors  of  a  battle-field  and  feared 
them  not.  Leaning  against  a  rock  he  saw  the  same  stars 
rise  as  had  shone  on  him  outside  his  tent  in  the  camp  by 
Tanis,  when  he  stood  divided  against  himself,  face  to  face 
with  the  hardest  decision  in  his  life.  Since  then  a  month 
only  had  gone  by,  but  that  short  space  of  time  had 
witnessed  an  incredible  change  in  his  whole  inner  and  outer 
life.  All  that  had  seemed  great  and  splendid  to  him  that 
night,  as  he  sat  outside  the  tent  in  which  Ephraim  lay  in 
his  fever,  all  that  he  had  then  deemed  worthy  of  his  most 
strenuous  effort,  now  lay  far  behind  him,  vain  and  worth- 
less. He  cared  no  longer  for  the  honors  and  dignities 
with  which  the  caprice  of  the  weak  and  arbitrary  king  of  a 
strange  nation  could  make  him  great  and  rich.  What  to 
him  now  was  the  well-armed  and  disciplined  army  among 
whose  captains  he  had  numbered  himself  with  such  glad 
pride? 

He  could  scarcely  believe  that  there  had  been  a  time 
when  he  had  aspired  to  nothing  higher  than  to  command 
more  and  yet  more  thousands  of  Egyptian  soldiers  ;  when 
his  heart  had  beat  high  at  the  prospect  of  a  new  title  or  a 
mark  of  honor  conferred  by  men  whom,  for  the  most  part, 
he  could  not  regard  as  worthy  of  his  esteem.  He  had 
looked  for  everything  from  the  Egyptians,  for  nothing  from 
his  own  nation.  For  that  night  in  the  camp  he  had  thought 
with  repulsion  of  the  great  mass  of  the  people  who  were 
of  his  own  blood,  as  miserable  slaves,  perishing  in  degrading 
servitude.  He  had  looked  down  in  his  pride  even  on  the 
noblest  of  them,  for  they  were  but  herdsmen,  and  as  such 
held  in  contempt  by  the  Egyptians  whose  feelings  he 
shared. 

His  own  father,  indeed,  was  an  owner  of  beasts,  and 
though  he  held  him  in  high  veneration,  this  was  in  spite  of 

17 


258  JOSHUA. 

his  position,  this  was  because  his  whole  nature  commanded 
respect,  bi  cause  the  vigorous  old  man,  with  youthful  fire, 
won  the  love  of  all  men,  and,  above  all,  that  of  his  grateful 
son.  lie  had  never  ceased  to  acknowledge  him  gladly, 
but  in  all  other  matters  he  had  striven  so  to  conduct  him- 
self among  his  brethren  in  arms  that  they  should  forget 
his  origin,  and  regard  him  in  all  respects  as  one  of  them 
selves.  His  ancestress,  Ascnath,  the  wife  of  Joseph,  had 
been  an  Egyptian,  and  of  this  he  had  always  been  proud. 

But  now — to-night? 

Now  he  would  have  made  the  man  who  called  him  an 
Egyptian  feel  his  wrath  ;  and  all  which,  at  the  last  new 
moon,  he  would  have  cast  from  him  and  hidden  away  as 
though  it  were  a  disgrace,  at  this  next  new  moon,  which, 
like  the  last,  rose  in  a  star-lit  sky,  made  him  hold  his  head 
high  with  pride  and  joy. 

How  grand  a  thought  it  was  that  he  had  a  right  to  pride 
himself  on  being  what  he  was  !  What  a  standing  lie,  what 
an  infinite  treason  would  his  life  and  doings  as  an  Egyptian 
captain  appear  to  him  now  !  His  upright,  spirit  rejoiced 
in  the  consciousness  that  this  was  an  aid  to  that  unworthy 
denial  and  concealment  of  his  own  blood.  He  felt  with 
glad  thankfulness  that  he  was  one  of  the  people  whom  the 
Most  High  had  chosen  before  all  others  ;  that  he  belonged 
to  a  congregation  of  whom,  even  the  humblest,  nay,  and 
every  child,  lifted  up  his  hands  in  prayer  to  the  God  whom 
the  loftiest  spirits  among  the  Egyptians  veiled  in  the  nar- 
rowest mystery,  because  they  thought  the  common  folk 
too  weak  and  too  dull-witted  to  stand  before  His  might 
and  greatness,  or  to  comprehend  them. 

And  this,  the  One  and  only  God,  before  whom  the 
motley  crowd  of  Egyptian  gods  sank  into  nothingness, 
this  God  had  chosen  him,  the  son  of  Nun,  out  of  the 
thousands  of  the  nation,  to  be  the  leader  and  protector  of 
His  chosen  people,  and  had  given  him  a  name,  pledging 
Himself  to  be  his  Helper.  To  obey  his  God  and  to 
devote  his  blood  and  life,  under  His  guidance,  to  His 
people,  seemed  to  him  as  lofty  an  aim  as  any  man  ever 
kept  in  view.  His  black  eyes  flashed  more  brightly  as  he 
thought  of  it.  His  heart  seemed  too  small  for  all  the  love 
with  which  he  would  now  make  up  to  his  brethren  for  his 
shortcomings  towards  them  in  former  years. 

He  had,  indeed,  lost  a  noble  and  lovely  woman  whom 


JOSHUA.  259 

he  had  hoped  to  win,  and  she  was  the  wife  of  another ; 
but  this  did  not  at  all  trouble  the  happy  enthusiasm  which 
possessed  his  soul ;  he  had  ceased  to  desire  her  for  his 
own,  high  as  her  image  still  stood  in  his  heart.  At  this 
moment  he  thought  of  her  with  calm  gratitude  ;  for,  as  he 
confessed  to  himself,  his  new  life  had  begun  on  that  deci- 
sive night  when  Miriam  had  set  him  the  example  of 
sacrificing  everything,  even  what  she  held  dearest,  for  God 
and  the  Hebrew  people. 

In  so  far  as  the  prophetess  had  sinned  against  him  he 
had  blotted  it  all  from  his  memory,  for  he  was  wont  to 
forget  when  he  had  forgiven.  At  this  moment  he  felt  only 
how  much  he  owed  her.  Like  some  noble  tree  uplifting 
its  head  to  heaven,  where  two  hostile  countries  join  and 
touch,  so  he  stood  between  his  former  and  his  present  life  ; 
and  although  love  was  laid  in  a  grave,  still  he  and  she 
could  never  cease  to  strive  hand  in  hand  for  the  same  end, 
and  to  walk  in  the  same  way. 

He  looked  back  once  more  on  the  period  which  he  had 
just  passed  through,  and  he  could  say  to  himself  that  in  a 
very  short  time,  and  under  his  leadership,  a  crowd  of 
wretched  serfs  had  become  valiant  warriors.  They  had 
already  learned  to  obey  promptly  in  the  field,  and  to  be 
justly  proud  of  victory.  And  every  new  success  must  im- 
prove them.  To-day,  even,  it  seemed  to  him  not  merely 
desirable  but  perfectly  possible  to  conquer  a  new  country 
at  their  head,  a  home  which  they  would  love  and  call  their 
own.  where  they  might  dwell  in  freedom  and  welfare,  and 
become  such  men  of  valor  as,  by  good  training,  he  hoped 
to  make  them. 

Thus,  among  the  horrors  of  the  battle-field,  under  the 
moonless  night,  gladness,  as  the  radiance  of  day,  shone  in 
his  soul,  and  with  the  words,  "  God  and  my  people  !  "and 
a  thankful  upward  glance  at  the  starry  vault,  he  quitted 
the  corpse-strewn  valley  of  death  with  a  triumphant  step, 
as  though  he  were  marching  over  palms  and  flowers  cast  in 
his  victorious  path  by  a  thankful  throng. 


260  JOSHUA 


CONCLUSION. 

In  the  camp  he  found  all  astir.  Fires  were  blazing  in 
front  of  the  tents,  and  around  them  sat  joyful  groups, 
while  many  a  beast  was  slain,  either  as  a  thank-offering  or 
for  an  evening  feast.  Wherever  Joshua  went  he  was 
hailed  with  glad  acclamations  ;  but  he  failed  to  find  his 
father,  for  Nun  had  accepted  Hur's  bidding,  and  it  was 
outside  his  tent  that  the  son  embraced  the  old  man,  ra- 
diant with  thankful  pride.  And  the  belated  guest  was 
welcomed  by  Miriam  and  her  husband  in  a  way  which 
gladdened  his  heart ;  Hur  gave  him  his  hand  with  hearty 
frankness,  while  she  bowed  reverently  before  him,  and  her 
eyes  beamed  with  joy  and  gratitude. 

Before  he  sat  down,  Hur  led  him  aside,  ordered  a  slave 
who  had  just  slaughtered  a  calf  to  divide  it  in  two  parts, 
and,  pointing  to  it,  said  : — 

"  You  have  done  great  things  for  the  people  and  for  me, 
son  of  Nun,  and  my  life  is  too  short  for  the  gratitude  you 
have  laid  on  me  and  on  my  wife.  If  you  can  forget  die 
bitter  words  which  troubled  our  peace  at  Dophka — and 
you  say  you  have  forgotten  them — let  us  henceforth  dwell 
in  unity  as  brothers  in  one  cause,  and  stand  up  for  each 
other  in  joy  and  sorrow,  in  peril  and  in  need.  The  cap- 
taincy henceforth  belongs  to  you  alone,  Joshua,  and  to 
none  other;  and  the  people  all  rejoice  thereat,  and,  most 
of  all,  so  do  I  and  my  wife.  And  if  you  share  my  desire 
that  we  should  henceforth  live  in  the  bonds  of  brother- 
hood, come  with  me,  and  after  the  custom  of  our  fathers  we 
will  walk  together  between  the  two  halves  of  this  slaugh- 
tered beast." 

And  Joshua  gladly  did  his  bidding  ;  Miriam  was  the 
first  to  join  in  the  loud  approval  which  old  Nun  began, 
and  she  did  so  with  ardent  vehemence  ;  for  it  was  she 
who,  after  humbling  herself  before  her  husband,  whose 
love  she  had  now  quite  won  back,  had  suggested  to  him  to 
invite  Joshua  to  this  treaty  of  brotherhood  which  was  now 
ratified.     All  this  had  cost  her  no  pang  ;  for  the  two  vows 


JOSHUA.  261 

to  which  she  had  pledged  herself  after  that  the  son  of  Nun, 
whom  she  now  was  ready  to  call  Joshua,  had  saved  her 
from  the  hand  of  the  foe  were  about  to  be  fulfilled,  and  she 
felt  that  it  was  in  a  happy  hour  that  she  had  made  them. 

The  feeling,  new  to  her,  that  she  was  a  woman  even  as 
other  women  are,  gave  to  her  whole  person  a  gentleness 
which  had  hitherto  been  foreign  to  her,  and  this  won  her 
the  love  of  her  husband,  whose  full  worth  she  had  learnt 
during  the  bitter  time  when  he  had  opened  his  heart  to 
her. 

At  the  very  hour  when  Hur  and  Joshua  were  sealing  the 
bond  of  brotherhood,  another  faithful  pair  had  met  again 
whom  sacred  duty  had  torn  asunder,  for  while  the  friends 
were  still  enjoying  their  meal  in  front  of  Hur's  tent,  three 
persons  desired  permission  to  speak  with  Nun,  their  lord 
and  master.  These  were  the  old  freed  woman,  who  had  re- 
mained behind  in  Tanis,  with  her  daughter  and  Asser,  from 
whom  Hoglah  had  parted  to  stay  with  her  feeble  parents. 

Old  Eliab,  the  father,  had  soon  died,  and  then  the  mother 
and  daughter  had  set  forth  to  follow  their  people  through 
unspeakable  fatigues,  the  old  woman  riding  her  husband's 
ass.  Nun  received  the  faithful  souls  with  joy,  and  in  the 
same  hour  gave  Hoglah  to  Asser  to  wife.  Thus  this  blood- 
stained day  had  brought  blessing  to  many  ;  and  yet  it  was 
fated  to  end  with  a  harsh  discord. 

So  long  as  the  fires  blazed  in  the  camp  there  was  always 
some  stir  going  forward,  and  throughout  their  wanderings 
hither  no  evening  had  passed  without  some  quarrel  and 
bloody  fray.  Wounds  and  death-blows  had  been  the  fre- 
quent result  when  one  who  had  been  insulted  revenged 
himself  on  his  adversary,  when  some  dishonest  rascal 'had 
seized  the  property  of  another,  or  refused  to  fulfill  the 
obligations  he  had  contracted. 

In  these  cases  it  had  often  been  a  hard  matter  to  make 
the  peace  and  bring  the  criminal  to  a  reckoning,  for  the 
refractory  refused  to  acknowledge  any  man,  be  he  who  he 
might,  as  a  judge  over  them.  Those  who  fancied  them- 
selves injured  banded  together  with  others,  and  tried  to 
right  themselves  by  force. 

On  this  festive  evening  Hur  and  his  guests  at  first  heard 
only  such  a  noise  as  every  one  was  accustomed  to  hear. 
But  presently,  when  besides  the  wild  uproar  a  glare  of 
light  flared  up  close  to  them,  the  chiefs  began  to  fear  for 


262  JOSHUA. 

the  safety  of  the  camp,  so  they  rose  up  to  put  an  end  to 
the  turmoil,  and  found  themselves  in  the  presence  of  a 
spectacle  which  filled  some  with  rage  and  horror  and  others 
with  grief. 

The  triumph  of  victory  had  turned  the  heads  of  the  mul- 
titude. They  felt  prompted  to  give  expression  to  their 
gratitude  to  the  god,  and  with  a  vivid  remembrance  of  the 
horrible  worship  of  their  native  land  a  party  of  Phoeni- 
cians among  the  strangers  in  the  camp  had  lighted  a  great 
fire  to  their  god  Moloch,  and  were  almost  in  the  act  of 
flinging  an  Amalekite  into  the  flames  as  an  offering  pleasing 
in  his  eyes.  Close  at  hand  the  Israelites  had  set  up  a  clay 
image  of  the  Egyptian  god  Set.,  which  one  of  his  Hebrew 
devotees  had  brought  with  him  as  a  charm  to  protect  his 
family,  placing  it  on  a  tall  pillar  of  wood.  Hundreds  were 
dancing  round  it,  and  singing  in  triumph.  Their  worship 
could  not  have  been  more  fervent,  nor  the  rapture  of  their 
souls  more  eager,  if  they  had  desired  to  pay  the  God  of 
their  fathers  the  thanksgiving  which  was  I  lis  due. 

Soon  after  his  return  to  the  camp,  Aaron  had  assembled 
the  people  to  sing  praises  and  glorify  the  Lord  ;  but  the 
need  for  seeing  an  image  of  the  God  to  which  they  might 
uplift  their  souls  after  the  manner  to  which  they  had  so 
long  been  accustomed  had  proved  so  strong  in  many  of  them 
that  the  mere  sight  of  the  clay  idols  had  sufficed  to  bring 
them  to  their  knees,  and  turn  their  hearts  from  the  true 
God. 

At  the  sight  of  the  worshipers  of  Moloch,  who  had 
already  bound  their  victim,  ready  to  cast  him  into  the 
flames,  Joshua  was  very  wroth,  and  when  in  their  dark- 
ness they  refused  to  hear  him,  he  bid  the  trumpet  sound, 
and  by  the  help  of  the  young  fighting-men,  who  obeyed  him 
blindly,  and  to  whom  the  strangers  were  anything  rather 
than  dear,  he  drove  them  without  bloodshed  back  to  their 
own  quarter  of  the  camp. 

The  Hebrews  yielded  to  the  urgent  exhortations  of  old 
Nun,  Hur  and  Nahshon,  and  repented  of  their  sin,  which 
Was  aggravated  by  ingratitude.  But  even  they  took  it 
amiss  when  the  fiery  old  man  broke  the  images  they  prized 
so  dearly,  and  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  love  they  bore  his 
son  and  grandson,  and  for  the  honor  due  to  his  white  hairs, 
many  a  hand  would  have  been  lifted  against  him. 

Moses  had  retired  into  solitude,  as  was  his  wont,  after 


JOSHUA.  263 

each  peril,  which  by  the  grace  of  the  Almighty  came  to  a 
good  issue  ;  and  the  tears  rose  to  Miriam's  eyes  when  she 
thought  of  the  grief  it  must  cause  her  noble  brother  to  hear 
the  tidings  of  such  a  falling  away  and  such  deep  unthank- 
fulness.  A  dark  shadow  had  fallen  even  on  Joshua's  glad 
and  confident  mood.  He  lay  sleepless  on  a  mat  in  his 
father's  tent,  looking  back  on  the  past.  His  warrior's  soul 
was  strengthened  by  the  thought  that  a  single  almighty  and 
unerring  Power  ruled  the  universe  and  the  lives  of  men, 
and  required  unfailing  obedience  from  all  created  things. 
Every  glance  at  the  order  of  nature  and  of  life  showed  him 
that  all  things  depended  on  one  infinitely  great  and  mighty 
Being,  and  rose  up,  moved,  or  lay  down  to  rest  at  sign 
from  Him.  To  him,  the  captain  of  a  puny  army,  his  God 
was  the  supreme  and  wise  Captain,  the  only  Leader  who 
was  always  sure  of  the  victory.  How  great  was  the  sin  of 
insulting  such  a  Lord,  and  of  going  after  strange  gods  in 
return  for  his  mercies  !  And  this  was  what  the  Israelites 
had  done  before  his  very  eyes ;  and  as  he  recalled  to  his 
memory  the  doings  which  had  compelled  his  intervention, 
the  question  arose  in  his  mind,  how  might  they  be  protected 
against  the  wrath  of  the  Most  High,  and  how  could  the  eyes 
of  the  darkened  multitude  be  opened  to  His  wondrous 
heart  and  soul-inspiring  greatness  ? 

But  he  found  no  answer  and  saw  no  remedy,  as  he 
pictured  to  himself  the  perversity  and  rebellious  spirit  pre- 
vailing in  the  camp,  which  threatened  to  bring  evil  on  his 
people. 

He  had  succeeded  in  reducing  the  fighting-men  to 
obedience.  As  soon  as  the  trumpet  sounded,  and  he  made 
his  appearance  in  battle-array  at  the  head  of  his  troops, 
their  stiff-necked  will  gave  way  to  his.  Was  there  nothing, 
then,  which,  in  the  peaceful  round  of  every-day  life,  could 
keep  them  within  the  bounds  which,  under  Egyptian  rule, 
made  life  safe  for  even  the  humblest  and  weakest,  and 
protected  them  against  the  high-handed  and  power- 
ful? Meditating  on  these  things,  he  watched  till  dawn 
was  near,  and  as  the  stars  began  to  set  he  sprung  up 
and  bid  the  trumpets  sound;  and  to-day,  as  yesterday, 
they  assembled  without  a  murmur,  and  in  full  numbers. 
He  was  soon-  marching  at  the  head  of  his  troops  through 
the  narrow  gorge,  and  after  they  had  gone  forward  for 
about  an   hour,   in    silence  and   in  darkness,  they  were 


264  JOSHUA. 

refreshed  by  the  cooler  air  which  precedes  the  day.  Dawn 
began  to  spread  in  the  cast,  the  sky  grew  paler,  and 
the  glowing  splendors  of  sunrise  solemnly  and  grandly 
rose  above  the  majestic  mass  of  the  Holy  Mountain.  It 
lay  spread  out  before  the  pilgrims,  almost  tangibly  close 
and  clear,  with  its  brown  crags,  precipices  and  ravines  \ 
towering  above  them  rose  its  seven-peaked  crown,  round 
which  a  pair  of  eagles  were  soaring,  their  broad  wings 
bathed  in  a  golden  glory,  in  the  light  of  the  new-born  day. 

And  again,  as  at  Alush,  a  pious  thrill  brought  the  march- 
ing host  to  a  standstill,  while  each  one,  from  the  first  to 
the  last,  raised  his  hands  in  silent  adoration  and  prayer. 

Then  the  warriors  went  on  with  hearts  uplifted,  one  gaily 
calling  to  another  in  glad  excitement  as  some  pretty  little 
brown  birds  flew  to  meet  them,  twittering  loudly,  an  assur- 
ance that  fresh  water  must  be  near.  Hardly  half  an  hour 
further  on  they  saw  the  blue-green  foliage  of  a  tamarisk- 
brake,  and  above  it  tall  palms,  and  heard  at  last  the  sweetest 
sound  that  ever  falls  on  the  listening  ear  in  the  desert,  the 
babbling  of  a  running  stream.  This  encouraged  them 
greatly,  and  the  mighty  form  of  the  peak  of  Sinai,  *  its  heaven- 
kissing  head  veiled  in  blue  mist,  filled  the  souls  of  these 
men,  dwellers  until  now  in  the  level  meads  of  Goshen,  with 
devout  amazement. 

They  now  proceeded  with  caution,  for  the  remnant  of 
the  stricken  Amalekites  might  be  lurking  in  ambush.  But 
there  was  no  foe  to  be  seen  or  heard ;  and  the  only  traces 
the  Hebrews  found  of  the  sons  of  the  desert  and  their 
thirst  for  revenge  were  their  ruined  houses,  the  fine  palms 
felled  and  prone,  and  the  garden-ground  destroyed. 

They  were  forced  to  clear  the  slender  trunks  out  of  their 
path  that  they  might  not  check  the  advance  of  the  Hebrew 
multitude  ;  and  when  this  task  was  done,  Joshua  went 
down  through  a  defile  leading  to  the  brook  in  the  valley, 
and  up  the  nearest  boulder  of  the  mountain,  to  look  about 
him.  far  and  near,  for  the  enemy. 

The  mountain-path  led  over  masses  of  granite  veined 


*  Now  called  Serbal  ;  not  the  Sinai  of  the  monks  which,  in  my 
opinion,  was  not  supposed  to  be  the  mountain  of  the  law-giving  till  the 
time  of  Justinian.  A  full  exposition  of  the  view  that  Serbal  is  the 
Sinai  of  Scripture,  which  was  first  put.  forward  by  Lepsius,  and  in  which 
other  writers  agree,  may  be  found  in  a  volume,  entitled  (in  German), 
'■  Through  Goshen  to  Sinai,"  by  Dr.  G.  Ebers. 


JOSHUA.  265 

with  green  diorite,  rising  steeply  till  it  ended  high  above 
the  plain  of  the  oasis,  at  a  plateau  where,  by  a  clear  spring, 
green  shrubs  of  delicate  mountain-flowers  graced  the  wil- 
derness. 

■  Here  he  paused  to  rest,  and  looking  round  he  discerned 
in  the  shadow  of  an  overhanging  rock  a  tall  figure  gazing 
at  the  ground. 

It  was  Moses. 

The  course  of  his  reflections  had  so  completely  rapt 
him  from  his  present  surroundings  that  he  did  not  perceive 
Joshua's  approach,  and  the  warrior  reverently  kept  silence 
for  fear  of  disturbing  the  man  of  God,  waiting  patiently 
till  he  raised  his  bearded  face,  and  greeted  him  with 
dignity  and  kindness. 

Side  by  side  they  gazed  down  into  the  oasis  and  the 
desolate  rocky  ravines  at  their  feet.  Even  a  tiny  strip  of 
the  Red  Sea,  which  bathes  the  western  foot  of  the  moun- 
tains, gleamed  like  an  emerald  in  the  distance.  And  their 
talk  was  of  the  people,  and  of  the  greatness  and  power  of 
the  God  who  had  brought  them  so  far  with  such  wondrous 
works  ;  and  as  they  looked  to  the  northward  they  could 
see  the  endless  train  of  the  pilgrims,  slowly  making  their 
way  along  the  devious  way  of  the  defile  towards  the  oasis. 

Thus  did  Joshua  open  his  heart  to  the  man  of  God,  and 
told  him  all  he  had  thought  and  wondered  during  the  past 
sleepless  night,  finding  no  answer. 

The  prophet  listened  to  him  with  composure,  and  then 
replied  in  a  deep  hesitating  voice  and  in  broken  sentences  : 

"  Insubordination  in  the  camp — yes  ;  it  is  ruining  the 
people.  But  the  Lord  of  Might  has  left  it  in  these  hands 
to  dash  them  to  pieces.  Woe  to  those  who  rebel.  That 
Power,  as  stupendous  as  this  mountain,  and  as  immovable 
as  its  foundation  rock — they  must  feel  it !  "  Here  the 
angry  speech  of  Moses  ceased.  After  they  had  stood  for 
a  while  looking  into  the  distance,  Joshua  broke  the  silence 
by  inquiring  :  "  And  what  is  that  Power  called  ?  " 

And  the  answer  came  clear  and  strong  from  the  bearded 
lips  of  the  man  of  God  :  "  The  Law,"  and  he  pointed  with 
his  staff  to  the  top  of  the  peak. 

Then,  with  a  gesture  of  farewell,  he  quitted  his  com- 
panion. 

Joshua,  still  looking  out,  perceived  some  dark  shadows 
moving   to   and   fro   on   the  yellow  sand  of  the  valleys. 


266  JOSHUA. 

These  were  the  remnant  of  the  Amalckites  seeking  a  new 
spot  where  they  might  dwell. 

For  a  short  time  he  kept  his  eye  on  them,  and  when  he 
had  assured  himself  that  they  were  moving  away  from  the 
oasis,  he  returned  pensive  to  the  valley. 

"  The  Law,"  he  repeated  to  himself  again  and  again. 

Yes,  that  was  what  the  exiles  lacked.  Its  severity 
might  be  the  one  thing  capable  of  forming  the  tribes  which 
had  fled  from  bondage  into  a  nation  worthy  of  the  God 
who  had  chosen  them  before  all  the  other  peoples  of  the 
earth. 

1  lere  the  captain's  reflections  were  broken  off,  for  the 
voices  of  men,  the  bellowing  and  bleating  of  herds  and 
flocks,  the  barking  of  dog  and  the  noise  of  hammers  came 
up  to  him  from  the  oasis.  The  tents  were  being  pitched, 
a  work  of  peace  in  which  his  aid  was  not  needed.  He  lay 
down  in  the  shade  of  a  thick  tamarisk  shrub  above  which  a 
tall  palm  towered  proudly,  and  thankfully  stretched  his 
limbs  in  the  consciousness  that  henceforth  the  people 
would  be  amply  cared  for,  in  war  by  his  good.sword,  in  peace 
by  the  Law.  This  was  much,  this  raised  his  hopes  ;  but  no 
— this  could  not  be  all,  could  not  be  the  end  of  everything. 
The  longer  he  meditated,  the  more  deeply  he  felt  that  this 
did  not  satisfy  him  for  the  mass  of  beings  down  there  whom 
he  bore  in  his  heart  as  his  brethren  and  sisters. 

His  broad  brow  darkened  again,  and,  startled  out  of  his 
rest  by  these  new  doubts,  he  sadly  shook  his  head.  No, 
and  again  no  !  The  Law  could  not  afford  the  people  who 
had  grown  so  dear  to  him  all  he  desired  for  them.  Some- 
thing else  was  needful  to  make  their  future  lot  as  noble 
and  fair  as  he  had  dreamed  it  might  be  on  his  way  to  the 
mines. 

But  what  was  that  something,  what  was  its  name  ? 

And  now  he  began  to  rack  his  brain  to  find  out;  but 
while,  with  closed  eyes,  he  allowed  his  thoughts  to 
wander  to  those  other  nations  whom  he  had  seen  in  war 
and  in  peace,  to  discover  what  the  one  thing  was  still  lack- 
ing to  the  Hebrew  folk,  sleep  fell  on  him,  and  in  a  dream 
he  saw  Miriam  and  another  lovelier  form  resembling  Kasana 
as  he  had  often  seen  her  Hying  to  meet  him,  a  pure  and 
innocent  child,  and  after  her  ran  the  white  lamb  which  his 
father  had  given  his  favorite  years  since.  The  two  figures 
each  offered  him  a  gift,  and  bid  him  chose  one  or  the  other. 


JOSHUA.  267 

In  Miriam's  hands  was  a  heavy  gold  plate,  and  on  the  top 
of  it  in  letters  of  flame  he  saw  written,  "  The  Law."  She 
held  it  forth  to  him  with  gloomy  gravity.  The  child  offered 
him  a  drooping  palm-leaf,  such  as  he  had  often  carried  in 
token  of  truce. 

The  sight  of  the  table  of  the  law  filled  him  with  pious 
awe  ;  but  the  palm  branch  waved  invitingly  in  his  eyes, 
and  he  seized  it  quickly.  Hardly  had  he  grasped  it  when 
the  figure  of  the  prophetess  vanished  into  thin  air,  like  a 
mist  wafted  away  by  the  morning  breeze.  He  gazed  in 
anxious  surprise  at  the  spot  where  she  had  stood,  amazed 
and  uneasy  at  the  strange  choice  he  had  made,  though 
feeling  that  he  had  decided  rightly. 

Then  he  asked  the  child  what  her  gift  might  signify  to  him 
and  the  people.  At  this  she  signed  to  him,pointing  to  the  dis- 
tance, and  spoke  three  words,  in  a  gentle  sweet  voice  which 
went  to  his  heart.  But  strive  as  he  might  to  seize  their 
meaning  he  could  not  succeed,  and  when  he  desired  the 
vision  to  interpret  them  he  awoke  at  the  sound  of  his  own 
voice,  and  made  his  way  back  to  the  camp,  disappointed 
and  puzzled. 

In  later  days  he  often  sought  again  to  remember  these 
words,  but  always  in  vain. 

The  whole  force  of  his  body  and  soul  he  devoted  to  the 
Hebrew  folk  ;  but  his  nephew  Ephraim,  as  a  powerful 
prince  of  his  tribe,  well  worthy  of  the  honor  he  achieved, 
founded  a  house  in  Israel.  Through  him  old  Nun  saw 
great-grandchildren  growing  up  who  promised  enduring 
posterity  to  his  noble  race. 

The  rest  of  Joshua's  active  life,  and  how  he  conquered  a 
new  home  for  his  people,  is  a  well-known  tale. 

And  there,  in  the  land  of  promise,  many  hundred  years 
later,  was  another  Joshua  born  who  brought  to  all  mankind 
the  gifts  which  the  son  of  Nun  vainly  sought  for  the 
children  of  Israel.  In  the  three  words  spoken  by  the  child, 
and  which  the  captain  of  the  host  failed  to  interpret,  were 
"  Love,  Mercy  and  Redemption  ! " 


THE  END. 


THE  BUKGOIWEICS  VIFE- 


THE   BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

The  spring  of  1574  a.  d.  had  come  earlier  than  usual  in  the 
Netherlands.  The  sky  was  blue,  gnats  sported  in  the  sun- 
light, white-winged  butterflies  clung  to  the  fresh,  golden-hued 
flowers,  and  near  one  of  the  canals  which  cut  the  broad  plain 
stood  a  stork  snapping  after  a  bulky  frog:  the  poor  fellow  was 
soon  struggling  in  the  red  bill  of  his  enemy.  One  gulp — the 
lively  leaper  had  disappeared;  his  captor  had  spread  his  wings 
and  flown  upward.  Over  gardens  and  orchards  filled  with 
blossoming  trees  and  surrounded  by  beds  of  flowers  laid  out 
after  an  exact  pattern,  over  gayly  painted  summer-arbors,  and 
the  city,  with  its  fortresses  and  towers,  over  the  narrow  houses, 
with  their  high,  pointed  gables,  the  neatly  kept  streets  bor- 
dered on  either  side  by  elms,  poplars  and  linden,  by  the  wil- 
lows in  their  fresh  spring  green,  flew  the  bird.  At  last  he 
dropped  upon  the  ridge-pole  of  a  tiled  roof  into  his  strongly 
built  nest. 

After  generously  making  over  his  booty  to  the  brooding 
mother-bird,  he  perched  himself  upon  his  right  leg  and  looked 
down  reflectively  over  the  city  whose  red  tiles  lay  glittering 
beneath  him  on  the  velvet  carpet  of  the  green  meadow. 

For  many  years  he  had  known  fair  Leyden,  the  glory  of 
Holland,  and  was  familiar  with  the  various  branches  of  the 
Rhine,  which  divided  the  city  into  numerous  islands,  and  was 
spanned  by  as  many  stone  bridges  as  there  are  days  in  five 
months  of  the  year;  but  truly,  since  his  last  flight  southward, 
it  was  greatly  changed.  What  had  become  of  the  gay  pleas- 
ure-houses and  fruit-hedges  of  the  citizens?  Where  were  the 
wooden  frames  over  which  the  weavers  were  accustomed  to 
spread  their  many-colored  fabrics?  Whatever  vegetable  growth 
or  breast-high  structure  built  by  human  hands  had  broken  the 
uniformity  of  the  plain  outside  the  city  walls  and  fortresses 
had  utterly  disappeared.  And  beyond  these,  in  the  fowler's 
favorite  resort,  strange  brown  and  black  circles  seemed  sown 
ou  the  meadows. 


8  TITE    BURGOMASTER'S   "WIFE. 

Tn  October  of  the  previous  year,  soon  after  the  stork  had  left 
the  land,  a  Spanish  host  had  encamped  lure,  and  only  a  few 
hours  before  the  return  of  the  winged  wanderer  on  tins  first 
day  of  spring,  the  besiegers  of  Leyden  had  given  over  their 
fruitless  effort. 

The  sterile  spots  in  the  midst  of  the  luxurious  verdure 
marked  the  place  of  their  camp,  and  the  blaek  lines  their  ex- 
tinguished fires. 

The  threatened  citizens  breathed  freely  again.  The  busy, 
easy-going  population  had  straightway  forgotten  their  annoy- 
ance— for  the  early  spring  was  very  lovely — and  never  does 
existence  seem  more  desirable  than  when  surrounded  by  the 
delights  of  that  season. 

A  new  and  better  time  seemed  to  have  opened,  not  only  for 
nature,  but  for  man.  The  troops  stationed  within  the  city  for 
its  defense,  and  whose  experience  there  had  been  dismal,  had 
received  their  discharge  two  days  before,  and  gone  out  amid  song 
and  demonstrations  of  joy.  The  carpenter's  ax  now  glistened 
in  the  sunshine  before  the  red  walls  and  towers  and  gates,  to 
repair  and  to  reconstruct;  the  cattle  pastured  peacefully  again 
around  the  city  walls;  the  neglected  gardens  were  diligently 
prepared  for  planting  the  seed.  Upon  the  streets  and  in  the 
houses  a  thousand  hands  were  now  busy,  which  until  very 
lately  had  been  occupied  with  weapons  of  defense  upon  the 
walls  and  towers;  and  old  people  sat  quietly  before  the  doors, 
warming  their  backs  in  the  sunshine. 

On  this  1 8th  day  of  April,  one  could  see  in  Leyden  but  few 
discontented  faces,  though  many  impatient  ones.  He  who 
wished  to  find  the  latter  had  but  to  enter  a  room  of  the  High- 
School  building,  where  now,  as  noon  approached,  many  a  boy 
looked  more  eagerly  through  the  open  windows  than  toward 
the  lips  of  his  teacher. 

But  on  one  side  of  the  large  hall,  where  the  older  boys  were 
assembled,  no  such  feeling  was  manifest.  The  sun  shone  upon 
their  books  and  copies,  the  spring  called  them  as  enticingly  as 
the  others,  but  a  mightier  influence  held  their  youthful  spirits. 
Forty  bright  eyes  were  fixed  intently  upon  the  face  of  a  beard- 
ed man  who  was  addressing  them.  Even  the  wild  Jan  Mulder 
had  dropped  the  knife,  with  which  he  was  carving  the  excel- 
lent representation  of  a  ham  upon  the  desk  before  him,  to 
listen. 

As  the  hour  of  noon  struck  from  St.  Peter's  Church,  close 
by,  and  also  from  the  tower  of  the  state  house,  the  smaller 
boys  rushed  noisily  from  the  building. 

But,  strangely  enough,  the  patience  of  the  older  ones  was 


THE    BURGOMASTERS  WIFE.  9 

not  exhausted.  They  must  certainly  be  listening  to  something 
outside  the  ordinary  range  of  their  school  exercises.  The  man 
who  stood  before  them  was  not  their  usual  teacher,  but  the 
town  clerk,  Van  Hout,  who  had  for  to-day  taken  the  place  of 
the  master  and  preacher,  Vertroot,  detained  by  sickness. 

During  the  striking  of  noon-day,  he  had  closed  his  book, 
and  now  said:  "  Suspendo  lectionem.  Hey,  Jan  Mulder,  how 
would  you  translate  my  '  suspendere  '?" 

"  To  hang,"  answered  the  boy. 

"To  hang!"  laughed  Van  Hout.  "You,  perhaps,  on  a 
hook;  but  why  hang  a  lesson?    Adrian  van  der  Werff — " 

The  person  addressed  rose  quickly  and  said:  "  '  Suspendere 
lectionem  '  means  to  break  up  the  hour.'" 

"  Good;  and  if  we  wished  to  hang  Jan  Mulder,  how  would 
you  express  that?" 

"  Patibidare,  ad  patibidum,"  cried  all  the  scholars. 

The  features  of  Van  Hout,  just  now  relaxed  by  a  smile,  be- 
came grave.  He  drew  a  deep  breath,  and  said :  '  '  Patibulo ' 
is  a  bad  Latin  word,  and  your  ancestors  who  occupied  these 
seats  understood  its  significance  even  less  than  you.  Now 
every  child  in  the  Netherlands  knows  it;  for  Alva  has  im- 
pressed its  meaning  upon  us.  More  than  eighteen  thousand 
brave  citizens  have  come  to  the  gallows  through  Ms  '  ad  pati- 
bulum.' " 

With  these  words  he  drew  the  girdle  closer  about  his  black 
waistcoat,  stepped  nearer  to  the  foremost  row  of  benches,  and 
bending  his  stout  body,  said,  with  deepening  emotion : 

"  This  is  enough  for  to-day,  boys.  It  will  be  no  matter  if 
you  forget  the  word  we  have  just  learned.  But  there  is  one 
thing  you  must  keep  in  memory.  The  fatherland  above  all 
else!  Leonidas  and  his  three  hundred  Spartans  will  not  have 
died  in  vain,  so  long  as  there  are  men  ready  to  follow  his  exam- 
ple. Your  turn  will  come.  I  am  not  given  to  boasting,  and 
only  say  the  thing  that  is  true.  We  Hollanders  have  fifty 
times  three  hundred  martyrs  ready  to  come  forward  for  the 
defense  of  our  native  land.  Stormy  times  develop  firm  men, 
and  boys  also.  TJlrich  yonder,  at  the  head  of  this  class,  would 
do  honor  to  his  nickname  'Lowing/  'Here  Persian  and 
there  Greek  '  was  the  word  in  olden  time;  but  our  cry  is: 
'Here  Netherlands  and  there  Spain Y  And  truly  the  proud 
Darius  never  raged  in  Greece,  as  King  Philip  in  Holland. 
Among  the  flowers  which  bloom  in  the  human  heart  the  Span- 
ish have  sown  hatred — the  poison-hemlock — I  feel  it  within, 
my  own  heart,  and  so  do  you;  and  we  shall  continue  to  recog- 
nize it.     But  do  not  misunderstand  me.     '  Here  Spam,  there 


10  THE    BURGOMASTERS   WIFE. 

Holland!'  is  the  cry;  and  not  '  Rome  against  the  Reformation!' 
Ei  ery  Eaith  may  be  right  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  if  a  man  be 
striving  honestly  and  earnestly  to  follow  Christ.  At  the 
throne  of  Eeaven,  the  question  will  not  be  whether  a  man  is 
Papist,  Oalvinist,  or  Lutheran,  but  what  has  he  done,  and 
what  tried  to  do?  Respect  every  man's  faith;  but  you  have  a 
light  to  despise  him  who  makes  common  cause  with  the  op- 
pressors of  his  fatherland.  Now  let  us  all  pray  silently,  and 
then  go  home." 

The  scholars  rose.  Van  Hout  wiped  the  perspiration  from 
his  forehead  and  said,  timidly,  while  the  boys  were  gathering 
up  their  books,  and  pens,  and  pencils,  as  if  excusing  himself  to 
his  own  thoughts: 

"  What  I  have  said  to  you  does  not  exactly  come  under  the 
head  of  school  exercises;  but  though  you  may  occupy  these 
benches  a  while  longer,  boys,  you  will  sooner  or  later  be  called 
on  to. act  as  combatants  in  this  strife.  Lowing,  please  remain; 
I  have  something  to  say  to  you. " 

The  master  slowly  turned  his  back,  and  the  boys  rushed 
into  the  open  air. 

In  a  corner  of  the  open  space  behind  St.  Peter's  Church, 
seldom  disturbed  by  passers-by,  but  where  the  sound  of  music 
from  the  organ  inside  came  as  an  appropriate  accompaniment, 
they  stopped  to  hold  a  council  respecting  a  common  game  for 
the  afternoon.  After  the  speech  just  heard  from  the  secre- 
tary, it  was  only  natural  that  this  game  should  be  a  contest. 
So  that  the  only  question  before  this  impromptu  council  was 
as  to  the  arrangement  of  details. 

It  was  quickly  decided  that  instead  of  Greeks  and  Persians, 
the  contestants  should  personate  patriots  and  Spaniards.  But 
when  the  burgomaster's  son,  Adrian  van  der  Werff,  a  boy  of 
fourteen  years,  tried  to  divide  the  host,  and  in  a  rather  authori- 
tative manner  ordered  Paul  van  Swieten  and  Klaus  Dirkson  to 
personate  Spaniards,  a  violent  opposition  arose;  and  the  un- 
fortunate circumstance  became  apparent  that  no  one  was  will- 
ing to  take  the  part  of  Spanish  or  Italian  soldiers.  Each  boy 
wished  some  one  else  to  play  Oastilian,  but  to  fight  himself 
under  the  flag  of  the  Netherlands.  But  friend  and  enemy  be- 
longed this  time  to  the  same  group,  and  the  heroic  courage  of 
the  Hollanders  needed  the  actual  presence  of  Spaniards  to 
rouse  its  enthusiasm. 

The  youthful  spirits  soon  became  excited;  the  cheeks  of  the 
contestants  began  to  glow — here  and  there  fists  were  raised 
threateningly,  and  it  became  evident  that  instead  of  battling 
the  enemies  of  their  country,  a  cruel  civil  war  was  portending. 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE.  11 

And,  in  truth,  these  merry  fellows  were  poorly  qualified  to 
play  the  part  of  the  gloomy,  obstinate  soldiers  of  King  Philip. 

Among  them  all  one  could  find  very  few  with  brown,  and 
only  one  with  black  hair  and  dark  eyes.  This  was  Adam 
Baersdorp,  whose  father,  like  Van  der  Werff %  was  one  of  the 
patriotic  leaders.  When  he,  too,  declined  to  play  the  Spaniard, 
some  one  cried  out: 

"  So  you  do  not  wish  to?  Yet  my  father  says  yours  is  half 
a  Glipper,*  and  a  whole  Papist,  besides." 

At  these  words  young  Baersdorp  flung  his  books  to  the 
ground,  and  rushed,  with  doubled  fist,  upon  his  accuser.  But 
Adrian  van  der  Werff  stepped  quickly  between  them,  exclaim- 
ing: "  Shame  on  you,  Cornelius.  If  any  other  one  here  so 
disgraces  himself,  I  shall  stop  his  mouth.  Catholics  are  Chris- 
tians as  well  as  we.  You  have  just  heard  that  from  the  secre- 
tary, and  my  father  says  the  same  thing.  Will  you  play  Span- 
iard, Adam?    Yes  or  no?" 

"No,"  answered  Adam,  decisively.  "And  if  any  one 
again — " 

"  You  can  quarrel  afterward  if  you  wish,"  broke  in  Adrian, 
and  good-humoredly  gathered  up  the  books  of  the  excited 
Baersdoip  and  handed  them  to  him,  saying,  with  decision:  "  I 
am  Spanish  to-day.     Who  will  join  me?" 

"  I,  and  I,  and  I,  in  spite  of  all,"  cried  one  after  another, 
and  the  division  would  in  this  way  have  been  quietly  conclud- 
ed, had  not  the  attention  of  the  boys  been  attracted  in  a  new 
direction. 

A  young  gentleman,  followed  by  a  black  servant,  came  along 
the  street,  directly  toward  the  group.  He  also  was  a  Nether- 
lander, yet  had  little  in  common  with  the  school-boys,  except 
age,  a  red  and  white  complexion,  and  haughty  blue  eyes. 
Every  step  bore  witness  that  he  felt  himself  important,  and 
the  negro  in  gay  livery  who  walked  behind,  carrying  a  few 
articles  just  purchased,  ludicrously  imitated  his  gait.  His  head 
was  thrown  back  further  than  his  master's,  whose  free  motion 
was  hindered  by  a  stiff  Spanish  ruff. 

"  There  comes  Wibisma,  the  monkey,"  said  one  of  the  boys, 
pointing. 

All  eyes  turned  toward  the  new-comer,  and  examined  with 
a  kind  of  scorn  his  velvet  hat  adorned  with  a  plume,  the 
stuffed  and  quilted  waistcoat  of  red  satin,  the  broad  puffing  of 
his  short  brown  breeches,  and  the  scarlet  silk  stockings  that 
clung  to  his  well-shaped  legs. 

*  Name  given  to  those  sympathizing  with  Spain. 


12  THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE. 

"  The  monkey,"  repented  Paul  van  Swieten.  "  lie  follows 
ilic  cardinal,  and  affects  red." 

"  And  as  Spanish  as  if  straight  from  Madrid/' cried  another; 
while  a  third  added: 

"The  Wibismas  were  certainly  not  here  while  bread  was 
scarce  among  us." 

"  The  Wibismas  are  all  Glipj^ers." 

"  Aim!  1  hey  presume  to  strut  around  here  in  velvet  and  silk/' 
said  Adrian.  "  Just  look  at  the  black  fellow,  whom  the  red- 
legged  stork  has  brought  to  Leyden." 

A  loud  laugh  ran  through  the  group;  and  when  he  came 
nearer,,  Paul  van  Swieten  asked,  in  a  nasal  tone:  "  How  did 
deserting  suit,  and  how  are  all  things  in  Spain,  Herr  Glipper?" 

The  youth  tossed  back  his  head,  and  the  negro  followed  his 
example,  when  Adrian  cried  in  his  ear: 

"  Little  Glipper,  tell  me — for  how  many  pieces  of  silver  did 
Judas  sell  his  Lord?" 

The  young  Matenesse  van  Wibisma  made  an  involuntary 
motion,  but  controlled  himself,  until  Jan  Mulder  stejDjjed  in 
his  way,  holding  his  cloth  cap,  adorned  with  a  cock's  feather, 
under  his  chin  like  a  beggar,  and  with  mock  humility  asked: 
"  Please  give  me  a  penny  to  buy  an  indulgence  for  our  tom- 
cat, Herr  Grandee;  he  stole  a  calf's  leg  yesterday  from  the 
butcher — " 

"Out  of  the  way/'  cried  the  exasperated  youth,  and  tried 
to  push  Mulder  aside  with  the  back  of  his  hand. 

"Don't  touch  him,  Glipper!"  exclaimed  the  boys,  with 
threatening  gestures. 

"  Then  let  me  alone,"  answered  Wibisma.  "  I  sought  no 
quarrel  with  any  one — least  of  all,  with  you. " 

"  Why  not  with  us?"  asked  Adrian,  vexed  by  the  cool  con- 
tempt of  the  last  words. 

The  youth  turned  away,  shrugging  his  shoulders.  But 
Adrian  cried  out:  "  Because  the  fine  dress  of  Spain  suits  you 
better  than  our  waistcoats  of  Leyden  cloth — " 

Here  Adrian  stopped,  for  Jan  Mulder  slipped  behind  the 
youth,  and  struck  down  his  hat  with  a  book,  and  cried  out, 
while  Nicolas  van  Wibisma  was  trying  to  free  his  eyes  from 
the  covering: 

"  Now  the  hat  is  firm,  Herr  Grandee;  you  might  keep  it  on 
in  presence  of  the  king." 

The  hands  of  the  negro  were  filled  with  packages,  and  the 
nobleman  did  not  summon  him  to  help,  knowing  his  cowardice, 
and  feeling  himself  strong  enough  alone. 

There  was  a  costly  clasp  upon  the  hat  which  he  had  received 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE.  13 

as  a  gift  upon  his  seventeenth  birthday,  but  he  quite  forgot 
this  as  he  threw  it  one  side  and  doubled  his  arms  as  for  a 
wrestling  match,  asking,  with  glowing  cheeks,  and  in  an  em- 
phatic tone:  "  Who  did  that?^ 

Jan  Mulder  had  slipped  back  into  the  circle  of  his  compan- 
ions, and  instead  of  coming  forward  boldly,  said,  with  a  laugh: 
' '  The  challenger,  Glipper.  We  want  to  play  blind-man's  buff. ' ' 

Nicolas  could  no  longer  restrain  himself,  and  addressed  the 
crowd  in  his  wrath  as  "  cowardly  beggars." 

Scarcely  had  he  uttered  the  word,  when  Paul  van  Swieten 
flung  his  grammar,  bound  in  swine's  leather,  at  the  breast  of 
Wibisma. 

His  example  was  followed  by  others,  and  books  flew  from  all 
directions  at  the  legs  and  shoulders  of  the  young  nobleman. 
Bewildered,  and  covering  his  face  with  his  hands,  he  retreated 
to  the  wall  of  the  church  and  stood  ready  to  plunge  upon  his 
enemies.  The  stiff  Spanish  ruff  fettered  him  no  longer.  He 
looked  his  antagonists  boldly  in  the  face,  stretched  his  limbs, 
strengthened  by  the  presence  of  much  knightly  exercise,  and, 
with  a  true  Netherland  oath,  sprung  upon  Adrian,  who  chanced 
to  be  nearest. 

After  a  short  struggle  the  burgomaster's  son  was  lying  on 
the  ground — but  now  the  other  boys,  who  had  not  ceased  the 
cry  of  "  Glipper!"  laid  hands  upon  the  youth  as  he  knelt  above 
his  victim. 

Nicolas  turned  bravely,  but  the  odds  were  against  him. 
Losing  self-control,  he  drew  a  dagger  from  his  girdle.  Two 
of  the  sjDectators  threw  themselves  upon  him  and  succeeded  in 
wrenching  away  the  weapon,  which  fell  upon  the  pavement. 
But  in  its  fall,  the  sharp  edge  scratched  the  arm  of  Paul  van 
Swieten,  and  blood  began  to  flow. 

Up  to  this  time  the  notes  of  the  organ  within  the  church 
had  been  heard  above  the  cries  of  the  boys  and  the  terror- 
stricken  howl  of  the  negro.  But  the  music  suddenly  ceased; 
the  musician  ap2?eared  at  a  side  door,  and  with  one  glance  took 
in  the  situation,  and  understood  the  cause  of  the  tumult  which 
had  disturbed  his  practice.  At  first  he  was  frightened,  but  his 
handsome  face,  framed  in  by  a  full  beard,  soon  wore  a  smile, 
yet  the  words  and  gestures  by  means  of  which  he  separated  the 
contestants  were  earnest. 

The  school-boys  were  well  acquainted  with  Wilhelm  Cor- 
neliussohn,  and  the  dozen  years  of  difference  in  age  gave  him 
the  right  to  interfere.  No  hand  was  raised  against  Nicolas, 
but  all  gathered  round  the  musician  to  enter  accusation  and  to 
excuse  themselves. 


14  THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WTFE. 

Paul  van  Rwietcn's  wound  was  slight,  though  he  stood  a  lit- 
tle apart  from  his  comrades,  binding  a  strip  of  linen  around 
the  burning  spot  in  the  flesh;  but  curiosity  as  to  the  issue  of 
the  contest  was  stronger  than  his  care  for  the  wound. 

When  the  work  of  the  peace-maker  was  nearly  accomplished, 
Paul  van  Swieten  cried  out  in  a  tone  of  warning  to  his  com- 
rades, ] minting  at  the  same  time  in  the  direction  of  the  school- 
house:  ''There  comes  llerr  van  Nordwyk.  Let  the  (Hipper 
go,  or  there'll  be  trouble,"  and  ran  quickly  around  the  church. 
Several  boys  followed,  but  the  new-comer,  before  whom  they 
were  retreating,  had  a  good  pair  of  legs,  and  knew  how  to  use 
them. 

"  Stop,  boys/'  he  cried,  in  a  commanding  tone.  "  What 
is  going  on  here?" 

Every  one  in  Leyden  respected  this  brave  and  cultivated 
young  nobleman,  so  the  boys  who  had  not  followed  Paul  im- 
mediately stopped  where  they  were  until  Herr  van  Nordwyk 
came  up. 

With  a  peculiar  sparkle  in  his  shrewd  eyes,  and  a  fine  smile, 
he  cried  out:  "  What  has  happened  here,  Master  Wilhelm?  Is 
the  utterance  of  the  disciples  of  Minerva  not  in  harmony  with 
your  organ-practice,  or  has — but,  by  all  the  colors  of  the  rain- 
bow, this  is  Matenesse,  the  young  Wibisma.  And  how  the  fel- 
low looks!  A  brawl  in  the  very  shadow  of  the  church — and 
you  here,  Adrian!  and  you,  Master  Wilhelm!" 

"I  have  just  separated  them,"  answered  the  latter,  care- 
lessly, straightening  his  cuffs  the  meanwhile. 

"  Gently,  I  suppose,  but  with  emphasis,  as  at  the  organ/' 
replied  the  officer,  with  a  laugh.  "  Who  began  the  quarrel? 
You,  Nicolas,  or  the  others?" 

Nicolas,  agitated,  angry,  and  ashamed,  could  find  no  words 
in  which  to  reply.  But  Adrian,  stepping  forward,  said:  "  We 
have  been  wrestling.    Do  not  condemn  us  for  it,  Herr  Janus!" 

Nicolas  gave  his  antagonist  a  look  of  gratitude.  But  Herr 
van  Nordwyk,  Jan- van  der  Does,  or,  by  the  scholarly  title  he 
himself  preferred,  Janus  Dousa,  was  not  satisfied  with  this 
representation,  and  cried  out:  "Patience!  patience!  Your 
appearance  is  suspicious,  Master  Adrian;  come  nearer,  and 
tell  me  '  atrekeos,'  the  exact  truth  of  this  affair." 

Adrian  did  as  he  was  bidden  in  a  fair  and  honorable  manner, 
neither  overstating  nor  withholding  the  actual  facts. 

"Hem!"  exclaimed  Dousa,  after  the  boy  had  finished.  "It 
is  a  bad  case.  Neil  her  party  is  free  from  blame.  Your  cause 
would  appear  better  without  that  knife,  my  fine  young  man; 
and  as  to  you,  Adrian,  and  you,  you  chubby-cheeked  clowns, 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  15 

who —  There  comes  the  rector.  If  he  catches  you,  you  will 
see  nothing  beyond  four  walls  this  fine  day.  I  should  be  sorry 
for  that." 

The  "  chubby-cheeked  clowns  "  understood  his  significant 
gesture,  and  scampered  around  the  church  without  waiting  to 
take  leave,  like  a  flock  of  pigeons  pursued  by  a  hawk.  As 
soon  as  they  disappeared,  the  officer  came  nearer  to  young 
Nicolas,  saying:  "  This  is  a  bad  affair.  But  what  is  right  for 
them  is  fair  for  you,  too.  Go  home  as  quickly  as  possible. 
Are  you  the  guest  of  your  aunt?' 

"  Yes,  sir,"  answered  the  youth. 

"  Is  your  father  also  in  the  city?" 

He  was  silent. 

"  Then  he  does  not  wish  to  be  seen?" 

Nicolas  nodded,  and  Dousa  added:  "  Leyden  is  open  to  all 
Hollanders,  even  to  you.  But  if  you  will  go  about  as  the  page 
of  King  Philip,  and  your  old  comrades  choose  to  show  their 
contempt,  you  must  take  the  consequences.  There  lies  your 
dagger,  my  young  friend,  and  your  hat.  Take  them  both, 
and  remember  that  such  a  weapon  is  no  plaything.  In  one 
thoughtless  moment  many  a  one  has  ruined  his  whole  life. 
The  superior  numbers  pressing  upon  you  may  excuse  you  in 
this  case.  But  how  can  you  go  home  now,  in  this  torn  waist- 
coat, without  disgrace?" 

"  My  cloak  is  in  the  church,"  said  the  musician.  "  I  will 
give  it  to  the  youth. " 

"  Good,  Master  Wilhelm,"  answered  Dousa.  "  Wait  here 
till  it  comes,  my  young  man,  and  then  go  home.  I  wish  the 
time  might  return  when  your  father  would  care  for  my  greet- 
ing.    Do  you  know  why  it  is  no  longer  agreeable  to  him?" 

"No,  sir." 

"  Then  I  will  tell  you.  Because  he  likes  Spam  and  I  re- 
main a  Netherlander." 

"  We  are  Hollanders  as  well  as  you,"  returned  Nicolas,  with 
glowing  cheeks. 

"  Hardly,"  said  Dousa,  carelessly,  laying  his  hand  upon  his 
sharp  chin,  and  was  trying  to  add  a  kinder  word,  when  the 
youth  cried  out,  passionately: 

"  Herr  van  Nordwyk,  take  back  the  '  hardly.' ' 

Dousa  looked  surprised,  and  a  smile  came  to  his  lips  as  he 
replied : 

"  You  please  me,  Master  Nicolas,  and  I  shall  rejoice  if  you 
prove  yourself  a  true  Hollander.  But  here  comes  Master 
Wilhelm  with  the  cloak.  Give  me  your  hand — no,  not  this, 
the  other. " 


1(>  THE    BURGOMASTERS  WIFE. 

Nicolas  hesitated,  but  Janus  took  the  right  hand  of  the  boy 
in  both  hifl  own,  and  bi'iiding  his  stately  figure,  whispered  in 
his  ear,  so  lightly  that  the  musician  could  not  hear: 

"  Before  we  separate,  take  tliis  word  from  one  who  means 
well  toward  you.  Chains,  even  though  they  be  golden,  drag 
downward;  but  freedom  gives  wings.  You  are  pleased  now 
with  their  glitter,  but  our  swords  are  striking  upon  the  Span- 
ish chains,  I  believe,  with  good  effect.  Think  upon  my  words, 
and,  if  you  choose,  repeat  them  to  your  father/' 

Janus  Dousa  turned  his  back  upon  the  youth,  nodded  to 
the  musician,  and  went  his  way. 


CHAPTER   II. 

The  young  Adrian  hastened  up  a  street  that  had  received 
its  name  from  his  ancestors.  He  gave  little  heed  either  to  the 
lindens  which  lined  it,  whose  green  leaves  were  just  bursting 
their  buds,  or  to  the  birds,  twittering  as  they  built  their  nests 
in  the  hospitable  branches;  for  his  only  thought  was  to  reach 
home  as  quickly  as  possible.  At  one  end  of  a  bridge  s]:>anning 
the  Achtergracht,  he  stood  hesitatingly  before  a  stately  house, 
scarcely  daring  to  raise  the  knocker  and  let  it  fall  upon  the 
polished  plate  beneath  the  bolt,  for  he  anticipated  no  pleasant 
welcome.  His  waistcoat  was  out  of  order  from  wrestling  with 
his  stronger  antagonist.  The  torn  neck-gear  had  been  removed 
to  his  pocket,  and  the  new  violet-colored  stockings  had  fared 
so  badly  in  their  contact  with  the  pavement  as  to  show  more 
of  the  knee  than  was  quite  agreeable  to  himself.  The  pea- 
cock's feather  on  his  velvet  cap  might  be  replaced,  but  the 
damage  to  waistcoat  and  hose  was  far  more  serious. 

The  boy  was  sincerely  sorry,  for  his  father  had  strictly 
charged  him  to  be  careful  of  liis  clothes,  in  order  to  save  the 
pennies;  for  there  was  scarcity  at  this  time  in  the  great  house 
with  its  three  doors,  and  the  same  number  of  gables,  with 
their  ornamental  volutes — and  its  six  windows  in  each  story 
looking  so  proudly  down  upon  the  Werff  Street. 

The  office  of  burgomaster  brought  in  very  little,  and  the 
trade  in  chamois  and  other  skins,  inherited  from  the  grand- 
father, had  fallen  sadly  behind,  for  the  father  had  so  many 
other  interests — things  that  occupied  not  only  his  thoughts, 
his  time  and  his  skill,  but  every  spare  penny  also. 

So  Adrian  had  nothing  pleasant  to  expect  from  the  father, 
and  still  less  from  Fran  Barbara,  his  aunt.  But  the  boy  cared 
less  for  the  displeasure  of  both  these  than  for  the  reproachful 
look  in  the  eyes  of  the  young  wife,  whom  for  scarce  twelve 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  1? 

months  lie  had  called  "  mother/'  and  who  was  only  six  years 
his  senior. 

She  never  uttered  an  unkind  word,  but  his  waywardness  of 
ill-humor  vanished  away  before  her  beauty  and  her  quiet,  lady- 
like bearing. 

Whether  he  loved  her,  he  could  scarcely  have  told,  but  she 
seemed  to  him  like  a  good  fairy  of  whom  tales  are  told — he 
thought  of  her  as  being  too  tender  and  line  and  gracious  for  a 
plain  citizen's  house.  Her  smile  made  him  happy,  and  when 
she  was  sad,  which  was  not  often,  his  heart  ached.  Good 
heavens!  surely  she  would  not  receive  him  kindly  should  she 
see  his  waistcoat,  and  the  torn  ruffles  in  his  pocket,  and  the 
unfortunate  stockings! 

Then  he  heard  a  ringing  of  bells. 

The  meal -time  had  long  passed,  and  the  father  never  waited. 
Whoever  came  late  must  go  without,  unless,  perchance,  Aunt 
Barbara  should  take  compassion. 

But  of  what  use  this  delay? 

Adrian  roused  his  courage,  bit  his  lips,  pressed  his  hand 
more  firmly  over  the  contents  of  his  pocket,  and  let  the 
knocker  drop  vigorously  upon  the  plate  beneath. 

Trautchen,  the  old  maid,  opened  the  door,  and  in  the  dimly 
lighted  entrance-hall,  where  the  bales  of  leather  were  packed 
together,  saw  nothing  of  his  disordered  dress. 

The  dining-room  was  open,  and,  for  a  wonder,  the  meal 
stood  untouched  upon  the  table — the  father  must  have  been 
detained  longer  than  usual  at  the  court  house.  Adrian 
rushed  hastily  up  the  stairs  to  his  little  chamber  under  the 
gable,  dressed  himself  neatly,  and  had.  taken  his  place  at  the 
table  before  the  blessing  had  been  asked.  At  some  fortunate 
moment  he  hoped  to  persuade  Aunt  Barbara  or  Trautchen  to 
repair  the  unfortunate  garments. 

Adrian  began  with  a  good  appetite,  but  soon  grew  heavy  at 
heart,  for  his  father  was  silent  and  thoughtful,  as  during  those 
days  when  the  city  was  in  danger  from  the  besiegers. 

The  boy's  young  step-mother  sat  opposite  her  husband,  and 
looked  often  into  the  earnest  face  of  Peter  van  cler  Werff,  hop- 
ing to  meet  a  kindly  glance.  But  after  each  vain  attempt  she 
would  brush  the  golden  blonde  hair  from  her  forehead  and 
throw  back  her  beautiful  head,  or  bite  her  lip,  as  she  looked 
down  silently  into  her  plate. 

To  the  questions  of  Aunt  Barbara:  "  What  was  done  at  the 
council?"  '  Has  the  money  been  collected  for  the  new  bell?" 
"  Did  you  make  over  the  lease  of  the  meadow  to  Jacob  van 
Sloten?"  he  gave  short  and  evasive  replies. 


18  THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE. 

Tin' linn  man  sitting  at  Lis  table  in  silence,  and  with  eye- 
brows drawn  together,  taking  at  Erst  ;i  Eew  mouthf uls,  and 
then  nothing  at  all,  did  not  seem  like  one  swayed  by  idle 
caprice.  While  tlu'  family,  including  the  servants,  were  still 
eating,  he  rose  suddenly,  and  while  pressing  his  folded  hands 
upon  his  head,  said,  with  almost  a  groan:  "I  can  stay  no 
longer.  Please  return  the  thanks,  Maria.  And  Janke,  go  to 
the  council  house  and  inquire  if"  the  messenger  is  come." 

'The  servant,  who  obeyed  instantly,  was  a  great,  broad-shoul- 
dered Frisian,  yet  he  readied  only  to  the  forehead  of  his  mas- 
ter. 

Without  a  parting  salute,  Peter  van  der  Werff  turned  his 
back  upon  the  company  and  opened  the  door  into  his  work- 
room, locked  it  behind  him,  and  took  his  seat  before  a  great 
oaken  writing-table,  on  which  lay  piles  of  papers  and  letters, 
held  down  by  heavy  leaden  weights,  and  began  to  turn  over  the 
latest  records.  For  a  quarter  of  an  hour  he  tried  in  vain  to 
fix  his  attention  upon  what  was  before  him.  Then  he  crossed 
his  arms  for  support  over  the  open  carved  chair-back,  and 
contemplated  the  wood-work  of  the  ceiling.  But  in  a  few  min- 
utes he  pushed  the  chair  away  with  his  foot  and  walked  to  the 
window,  the  small  panes  of  which,  in  their  casing  of  lead,  in 
spite  of  their  neatly  polished  faces,  gave  but  narrow  outlook 
upon  the  street.  Yet  the  burgomaster  seemed  to  find  there 
what  he  sought,  for  he  hastily  raised  the  sash,  and  cried  out 
to  the  servant  who  was  approaching: 

"  Look  up,  Janke.     Has  he  come?" 

The  Frisian  shook  his  head — the  window  was  closed  again; 
but  a  few  moments  later  the  burgomaster  seized  his  hat,  which 
hung  against  the  wall  between  a  few  horse-pistols  and  a  simple 
stout  sword,  under  the  picture  of  a  young  woman,  making  the 
only  break  in  the  bare  wall.  The  restlessness  which  tortured 
him  made  it  impossible  to  remain  longer  in  the  house. 

He  determined  to  have  his  horse  saddled  and  ride  to  meet 
the  expected  messenger. 

But  as  he  was  leaving  the  room  he  stopped  thoughtfully,  and 
then  went  back  to  the  writing-table  to  sign  a  few  papers  which 
were  needed  at  the  council  house,  as  he  considered  that  it 
might  be  late  before  his  return  home. 

While  thus  engaged,  the  door  behind  him  opened  softly,  and 
the  fresh  sand  upon  the  floor  creaked  under  a  light  footstep. 
The  young  wife,  twenty-four  years  younger,  and  with  the  air 
of  a  timid  maiden,  stood  beside  her  husband,  yet  did  not  vent- 
ure to  claim  his  attention. 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE.  19 

Quietly  waiting  until  one  paper  was  signed,  she  said,  with  a 
faint  blush: 

"It  is  I,  Peter." 

"  Good,  my  child,"  he  answered,  shortly,  turning  to  the 
next  paper. 

"Peter,"  she  cried  again,  more  earnestly,  yet  still  with 
timidity,  "  I  have  something  to  say  to  you." 

Van  der  Werff  turned  his  head  toward  her  with  a  kindly 
look,  but  answered: 

"  Now,  child,  you  see  I  am  very  busy  and  just  going  out." 

"  But,  Peter,"  she  returned,  something  like  anger  sparkling 
in  her  eyes  and  a  shadow  of  complaint  in  her  voice,  "  we  have 
not  spoken  together  to-day.  My  heart  is  very  full,  and  what  I 
want  to  tell  you  may — that  is,  ought  surely — " 

"  When  I  come  home,  Maria,  not  now,"  said  her  husband 
interrupting  her,  in  a  tone  half  impatient,  half  imploring. 
"  First  the  city  and  the  land,  then  the  love." 

Maria  threw  back  her  head  and  said : 

"  You  have  said  that  since  the  first  day  of  our  marriage." 

"And  unfortunately  it  must  remain  so  until  the  end  is 
reached,"  he  answered  with  firmness. 

The  blood  rose  to  her  delicate  cheek,  and  with  cpiickened 
breath  she  said,  quickly,  yet  with  decision : 

"  Truly  I  have  learned  that  word  since  your  wooing,  but 
I  am  my  father's  daughter,  and  never  contradicted  it;  yet  now 
it  suits  us  no  more,  for  it  ought  to  run,  '  All  for  the  land,  and 
nothing  at  all  for  the  wife. '  " 

Van  der  Werff  laid  down  his  pen,  and  turned  square  toward 
his  wife.  Her  slender  figure  seemed  to  have  grown  larger, 
and  tears  were  swimming  in  her  proud  blue  eyes.  She  was  a 
companion  created  by  God  expressly  for  him,  and  him  alone, 
and  his  heart  was  moved.  He  stretched  both  hands  toward 
the  beloved  being,  saying,  in  a  tone  of  heartfelt  frankness: 

"  You  know  how  it  is;  my  heart  is  unchangeable,  and  bet- 
ter times  are  coming. " 

"  When  will  they  come?"  asked  Maria,  gloomily. 

"  Soon,"  answered  her  husband,  firmly — "  soon;  if  all  give 
willingly  what  the  fatherland  claims. " 

With  these  words  the  young  wife  drew  her  hands  away  from 
those  of  her  husband,  for  the  door  had  opened,  and  Fran  Bar- 
bara called  from  the  threshold  to  her  brother: 

"  Herr  Matenesse  van  Wibisma,  the  Glipper,  is  in  the  hall, 
and  wishes  to  speak  with  you." 
._"  Show  him  up,"  returned  the  burgomaster,  in  a  tone  of 


20  the  burgomaster's  wife. 

annoyance.     As  they  were  again   alone  lie   asked  Lis  wife, 
quickly: 

"  Will  you  practice  forbearance,  and  help  me?" 

She  nodded,  and  tried  to  smile,  yet  he  saw  that  she  was  not 
satisfied,  and,  since  that  gave  him  pain,  he  extended  his  hand 
once  more  to  her  and  said : 

"  Better  times  will  come,  in  which  I  shall  he  more  to  you 
than  to-day.     What  did  you  wish  to  say  to  me?" 

"  Whether  you  know  or  not,  it  has  nothing  to  do  with  the 
state. " 

"  But  for  yourself.  Raise  your  head,  and  look  at  me.  Be 
quick,  love,  for  they  are  already  on  the  stairs." 

"  It  is  not  worth  saying.  Just  one  year  ago —  To-day  we 
ought  to  celebrate  our  wedding — " 

Our  wedding-day!"    he  exclaimed,   clapping  his  hands. 
"  Surely  this  is  the  17th  of  April,  and  I  had  forgotten  it!" 

He  drew  her  affectionately  toward  himself  as  the  door  opened 
and  Adrian  led  the  baron  into  the  room. 

Van  der  Werff  bowed  politely  to  this  unusual  guest,  and 
said  to  his  wife,  who  retreated,  blushing: 

"  My  heartiest  congratulations!  T  will  come  to  you  after- 
ward. Adrian,  we  celebrate  to-day  our  wedding  festival,  as 
you  know. " 

The  boy  was  slipping  quietly  out,  for  he  suspected  that  this 
visit  of  the  titled  man  foreboded  nothing  of  good  for  himself. 
In  the  hall  he  stopped  thoughtfully  for  a  moment,  then  seizing 
his  cap,  devoid  of  a  feather,  hastened  out.  There  he  found 
his  school  comrades  drawn  up  in  order  of  battle  with  sticks 
and  staves.  He  was  eager  to  have  his  share  in  the  sport;  yet 
at  this  moment  he  slipped  away  unobserved  by  them  into  the 
Zyl  court,  thence  to  follow  the  course  of  a  canal  that  extended 
to  the  river  Rhine,  sometimes  stooping,  sometimes  on  his  knees. 
So  soon  as  he  had  filled  his  cap  with  the  white,  blue,  and  yel- 
low flowers,  he  sat  down  upon  a  stone  and  tied  them  into  a 
nosegay,  with  which  he  ran  back  to  the  house. 

On  a  bench  near  the  door  sat  his  little  six-year-old  sister, 
with  the  maid.  He  gave  her  the  flowers,  which  till  now  he 
had  hidden  beliind  him,  saying:  "  Take  them,  Elizabeth  dear, 
to  the  mother.  This  is  her  wedding-day,  and  you  must  give 
her,  too,  congratulations  from  both  of  us. " 

The  child  rose,  and  the  old  servant  said: 

"  Dear  Adrian,  you  are  a  good  boy." 

"  Do  you  mean  so?"  he  asked,  all  the  sins  of  the  forenoon 
recurring  to  his  thoughts.  But  unhappily  he  could  not  feel 
penitent;  and  his  eyes  had  a  roguish  sparkle  as  he  touched  the 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  21 

shoulder  of  the  woman,  and  whispered  in  her  ear:  "  There 
has  been  some  hair  pulled  to-day,  Trautchen.  Under  the  bed 
in  my  room  are  my  waistcoat  and  stockings.  No  one  can 
mend  as  well  as  you." 

The  maid  raised  her  finger  threateningly,  but  he  turned 
nimbly  and  ran  out  by  the  Zyl  door,  this  time  to  lead  the 
Spanish  against  the  Netherlander 

CHAPTER  III. 

The  burgomaster  resigned  his  chair  to  the  nobleman,  while 
he  himself  leaned,  half  sitting,  against  the  writing-table,  listen- 
ing impatiently  to  his  guest. 

"  Before  I  speak  of  weightier  things,"  began  Herr  Matenesse 
van  Wibisma,  "  I  wish  to  appeal  to  you,  as  a  man  of  upright- 
ness, against  the  injustice  shown  my  family  in  this  city." 

"  Go  on,"  begged  the  burgomaster,  and  the  knight  related 
shortly,  and  with  unconcealed  wrath,  the  experience  of  his  son 
near  St.  Peter's  Church. 

"  I  will  acquaint  the  rector  with  this  vexatious  affair,"  an- 
swered Van  der  Werff,  "  and  the  offender  shall  be  dealt  with 
according  to  law  and  equity.  But  forgive  me,  noble  sir.  if  I 
ask  whether  it  be  known  what  started  the  quarrel?" 

Herr  Matenesse  van  Wibisma  looked  astonished,  and  an- 
swered proudly: 

"  You  have  heard  my  son's  account  of  it." 

"  One  should  in  justice  hear  both  sides,"  returned  Van  der 
Werff,  carelessly.     "  That  is  an  old  Netherlandish  custom. " 

"  My  son  bears  my  name,  and  speaks  the  truth." 

"All  our  boys  do  the  same,  whether  called  Leendert,  or 
Adrian,  or  Gerritt,  and  I  suggest  that  you  send  your  young 
gentleman  to  the  examination  in  the  school." 

"That  will  not  happen,"  returned  the  knight,  with  decis- 
ion. "  Had  I  thought  this  a  matter  belonging  to  the  rector, 
I  should  have  sought  him  and  not  you,  Herr  Peter.  My  son 
has  his  own  tutor,  and  he  was  not  attacked  in  your  school, 
which  he  has  outgrown,  being  almost  seventeen,  but  on  the 
open  street,  for  whose  safety  you  as  burgomaster  are  responsi- 
ble." 

"  Very  well,  then,  enter  your  complaint,  lead  the  young 
man  before  the  justice,  summon  your  witnesses,  and  let  the 
law  take  its  course.  But,  sir,"  added  Van  der  Werff,  con- 
trolling his  impatience,  "  were  you  not  once  young  yourself? 
Have  you  entirely  forgotten  the  quarrels  under  the  castle? 
What  pleasure  could  it  give  you  to  see  these  unlucky  wights 


22  THE    BUEGOMASTEB'S  WIFE. 

put  into  tho  dungeon  for  a  couple  of  days  in  tins  pleasant 
weather?  The  prisoners  will  find  some  amusement  inside  as 
well  as  outside,  and  their  parents  will  be  the  only  sufferers." 

The  last  words  were  so  friendly  and  good-humored  that 
they  did  not  fail  of  their  effect  on  the  baron.  He  was  a  man 
of  hasty  temper,  but  whose  agreeable  and  genuinely  Nether- 
landish features  exjiressed  anything  but  harshness. 

"  If  you  speak  in  such  a  tone,"  he  answered,  laughing,  "  we 
shall  the  more  easily  come  to  an  agreement.  But  let  me  say 
this:  had  the  quarrel  risen  in  sport  or  boyish  dispute,  I  would 
not  waste  my  words;  but  when  the  children  take  upon  them- 
selves to  attack  with  violence  and  contempt  those  who  differ 
from  them  in  opinion,  it  should  not  pass  without  reproof. 
The  boys  shouted  that  silly  word  after  the  young  gentleman — " 

"  It  is  certainly  a  disgrace/'  broke  in  Van  der  Werff \  "  a 
very  ugly  name  by  which  our  people  designate  the  enemies  of 
their  freedom. " 

The  baron  rose,  and  stood  erect  before  the  burgomaster. 

"  Who  has  told  you/'  he  cried,  striking  upon  his  broad 
breast,  covered  with  a  quilted  silk  doublet,  "  that  we  are  in- 
different to  the  freedom  of  Holland?  We  wish  as  earnestly  as 
you  do  to  restore  it  to  the  states,  but  in  other  and  more 
gradual  methods  than  the  Orange — " 

"Whether  your  ways  are  crooked  or  straight,"  returned 
Van  der  Werff,  ' '  this  is  not  the  place  to  discuss.  But  this  I 
know:  they  are  by-ways. " 

"  They  ought  to  lead  to  the  heart  of  Philip,  your  king,  as 
well  as  ours." 

"  Yes,  if  he  only  had  that  which  we  in  Holland  call  a 
heart,"  returned  Peter  van  der, Werff,  with  a  bitter  smile. 

But  Wibisma  threw  back  his  head,  with  a  violent  gesture, 
and  said,  as  reproachfully: 

"  Herr  Burgomaster,  you  are  sj^eaking  of  the  anointed  prince 
to  whom  I  have  sworn  fealty." 

"  Baron  Matenesse,"  answered  Van  der  Werff,  with  intense 
earnestness  of  voice,  straightening  himself  meanwhile,  folding 
his  arms,  and  looking  the  nobleman  squarely  in  the  eye,  "  I 
speak  of  the  oppressor,  whose  bloody  Council  declares  all 
Netherlander,  and  you  with  the  rest,  criminals  worthy  of 
death,  who  through  Alva,  his  destroying  devil,  has  burned, 
hung,  or  beheaded  ten  thousand  honest  men,  despoiled  another 
ten  thousand  of  their  goods,  and  hunted  them  out  of  the  land. 
I  speak  of  the  reckless  tyrant — " 

*  Enough,"  cried  the  knight,  laying  his  hand  upon  the  hilt 
of  his  sword.     "  Who  gives  you  the  right — " 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE.  23 

"  "Would  you  ask  who  gives  mo  the  right  so  to  speak?"  broke 
in  Herr  Peter,  with  a  dark,  searching  look  into  the  eyes  of  the 
baron.  "  I  have  no  need  to  couceal  it.  This  right  came  to 
me  through  the  dumb  lips  of  my  brave  father,  beheaded  for 
his  faith — this  right  came  through  the  arbitrary  sentence, 
which,  without  any  pretext  of  law,  despoiled  me  and  my 
brother  of  our  estates — this  right  is  mine  through  the  broken 
oath  of  the  Spaniards,  the  torn  charter  of  our  country,  the 
needs  of  the  poor,  brave,  abused  people,  who  will  go  to  de- 
struction unless  we  rescue  them.'" 

"  You  can  not  rescue  them,"  answered  Wibisma,  in  a  cool 
tone.  '  You  will  only  plunge  the  reeling  crowd  more  certain- 
ly into  the  chasm,  and  perish  with  them. " 

"  We  have  cast  our  lot.  Perhaps  we  may  bring  rescue, 
perhaps  we  may  go  with  them  to  destruction." 

'  That  you  say,  and  yet  you  have  just  linked  a  young,  love- 
ly wife  to  your  fate. " 

:'  Herr  Baron,  you  have  crossed  my  threshold  as  an  accuser 
of  the  burgomaster,  and  not  at  all  as  a  guest  or  a  friend. ' ' 

"  You  are  right;  but  I  came  in  good  faith  to  warn  the  chief 
magistrate  of  this  fair  and  unhappy  city.  You  have  escaped 
one  tempest,  but  new  and  more  fearful  storms  are  gathering 
about  your  heads. " 

"  We  fear  them  not. " 

"  Not  even  now?" 

"  "With  good  reason,  less  than  ever." 

"  Then  you  do  not  know  that  the  brother  of  the  prince — " 

"  Louis  of  Nassau  attacked  the  Spaniards  on  the  14th,  and 
our  cause  stands  well." 

"  In  the  beginning  it  certainly  was  not  discouraging. " 

"  The  messenger,  who  yesterday  evening — " 

"  Ours  came  this  morning." 

"  This  morning,  do  you  say?    Go  on." 

"  The  army  of  the  prince  was  beaten  on  the  Mook  Heath, 
and  entirely  scattered.    Even  Louis  of  Nassau  was  left  there. " 

Van  der  Werff  clinched  the  writing-table,  while  the  fresh 
color  left  cheek  and  brow,  and  with  the  faint  question:  "Is 
Louis  really  dead?"  his  mouth  was  painfully  contracted. 

"  Dead/'  answered  the  baron,  firmly  and  sadly.  "  We 
were  enemies,  but  Louis  was  a  lordly  youth.  We  bewail  him 
together — " 

"  Dead!  William's  favorite  dead!"  murmured  the  burgo- 
master, as  in  a  dream.  But  he  quickly  roused  himself,  and 
said,  firmly:  "  Forgive  me,  noble  sir.  The  hours  hasten.  I 
must  to  the  court  house." 


21  TI7E    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE. 

"  Ami  there,  in  spite  of  my  message,  you  will  continue  to 
uphold  rebellion?" 

"  Yes,  tterr,  bo  surely  as  I  am  a  Hollander." 

"Do  not  forget  the  fate  of  Haarlem." 

"  I  remember  the  resistance  of  its  citizens,  and  the  rescued 
Alkmaar." 

"  Man,  man,"  cried  the  "baron,  "  by  all  that  is  sacred,  I  en- 
treat you  to  be  advised  by  me!" 

"  Enough,  Herr  Baron,  I  must  to  the  court  house." 

"  Only  one  word  more.  I  know  well  that  you  call  us  '  Clip- 
pers,' 'deserters/  but,  as  I  hope  for  God's  mercy,  you  mis- 
judge us.  No,  Herr  Peter,  I  am  no  traitor.  I  love  this  land, 
and  the  brave,  industrious  people,  as  warmly  as  you  do,  for  its 
blood  flows  also  in  my  veins.  I  have  signed  the  compromise. 
Here  I  am  baron.  Do  I  look  like  a  Judas  or  a  Spaniard? 
Can  you  blame  me  that  I  hold  to  the  oath  I  have  taken? 
"When  have  the  Netherlander  sworn  falsely?  You,  the  friend 
of  Orange,  have  promised  to  allow  every  man  the  right  to  his 
own  faith,  and  I  will  not  question  it.  I  hold  firmly  to  the  old 
Church.  I  am  a  Catholic,  and  shall  remain  such.  But  in 
this  hour  I  frankly  confess  that  I  hate,  as  you  do,  the  Inquisi- 
tion and  the  bloody  deeds  of  Alva.  They  belong  as  little  to 
our  faith  as  the  iconoclasm  of  yours.  I  love,  as  you  do,  the 
freedom  of  our  home,  and  to  win  that  back  is  my  effort  as 
truly  as  it  is  yours.  But  how  can  our  little  province  with- 
stand the  mightiest  kingdom  of  the  world?  Though  we  may 
conquer,  once,  twice,  thrice,  a  stronger  host  will  always  take 
the  place  of  the  one  that  was  beaten.  We  shall  gain  nothing 
by  might,  but  much  through  submission  and  prudent  negotia- 
tion. Philip's  treasury  is  empty,  and  he  needs  his  troops  else- 
where. Well,  then,  let  us  make  use  of  his  embarrassment, 
and  compel  him  to  restore  freedom  to  every  jilace  that  sub- 
mits. And  with  the  treasures  we  have  laid  by  we  will  buy 
back  out  of  his  hand  the  rights  he  has  gained  by  conflict. 
You  will  find  me  and  my  fellow-believers  to  have  open  hands. 
But  your  voice  has  great  influence  in  the  Council.  You  are 
the  friend  of  Orange,  and  if  you  could  persuade  him — " 

"  To  what,  noble  sir?" 

"  To  make  a  treaty  with  us.  In  Madrid  they  appreciate 
his  importance,  and  fear  him.  We  would  make  full  forgive- 
ness for  him  and  his  comrades  our  first  condition.  King 
Philip,  I  know,  would  take  him  again  into  favor — " 

"  Into  his  arms,  to  strangle  him,"  returned  the  burgomas- 
ter, with  emphasis.  'Have  you  forgotten  the  falsi-  promises 
0/  pardon,  the  fate  of  Egmont  and  Horn,  the  noble  Montigny, 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  25 

and  the  other  lords?  They  ventured,  and  found  themselves 
in  the  den  of  a  tiger.  What  we  purchase  to-day  will  surely 
be  taken  from  us  to-morrow,  for  what  oath  is  sacred  to  Philip? 
I  am  no  statesman,  but  this  I  know,  were  he  to  restore  our 
rights,  there  is  one  liberty  he  will  never  permit — the  one  with- 
out which  life  is  not  worth  living." 

"  What  is  that,  Herr  Peter?" 

"  The  one  to  believe  what  the  heart  prompts.  According 
to  your  own  estimates  you  mean  honestly,  noble  sir;  but  you 
trust  the  Spaniard;  we  trust  him  not,  and  even  if  we  could, 
we  should  be  betrayed.  You  have  nothing  to  fear  for  your 
faith;  we  have  everything.  You  believe  the  number  of  troojss, 
the  power  of  gold,  will  insure  success  in  the  conflict;  we  com- 
fort ourselves  with  the  hope  that  God  will  help  to  final  victory 
the  just  cause  of  a  courageous  people  ready  to  suffer  a  thou- 
sand deaths  for  their  freedom.  That  is  my  opinion,  and  that 
I  shall  assert  in  the  Council." 

"  No,  Master  Peter;  no,  you  can  not,  and  you  dare  not!" 

"  What  I  can  do  may  be  little,  but  what  I  dare  is  written 
within,  and  according  to  that  I  shall  act." 

"  So  then  you  will  follow  your  feelings  instead  of  your  judg- 
ment, and  nothing  but  evil  will  come  of  it.  Consider,  man, 
the  last  hope  of  the  Orange  party  has  just  been  broken  on 
Mook  Heath." 

"  True,  my  lord,  and  on  that  account  we  must  use  the  mo- 
ments not  to  talk  but  to  act." 

"  That  I  ought  to  say  to  myself  also,  Herr  Burgomaster,  for 
there  are  still  many  friends  of  the  king  in  Leyden  who  must 
be  persuaded  not  to  follow  you  blindly  to  the  sacrifice." 

At  these  words  Van  der  Werff  stepped  a  little  backward, 
and  said,  coldly  and  in  a  tone  of  authority: 

"As  guardian  of  the  safety  of  this  city,  I  command  you  to 
leave  Leyden  immediately.  If  you  are  found  within  the  walls 
after  noon  to-morrow,  I  shall  order  the  officers  to  take  you 
over  the  border." 

The  baron  left  without  a  salute.  So  soon  as  the  door  closed 
behind  him,  Van  der  Werff  flung  himself  into  the  arm-chair, 
and  buried  his  face  in  his  hands.  When  he  rose  again,  great 
tear-drops  had  fallen  upon  the  paper  through  his  fingers. 
With  a  bitter  smile  he  wiped  the  tears  away,  murmuring: 
"Dead!  dead!"  The  image  of  the  brave,  heroic  youth,  the 
skillful  mediator,  the  favorite  of  William  of  Orange  was  before 
him,  and  he  could  but  ask  what  effect  this  fresh  blow  might 
have  on  the  prince,  whom  he  loved  and  revered  as  the  savior 
of  his  hind,  as  the  wisest  and  most  unselfish  of  men.    William's 


26  THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE. 

sorrow  gave  liim  as  much  pain  as  if  it  wore  his  own,  and  the 
blow  to  their  freedom  must  be  heavy — it  might  prove  fatal. 

But  he  allowed  only  a  short  period  to  the  indulgence  of 
grief,  for  now  the  whole  energy  of  his  nature  must  be  sum- 
moned to  meet  the  emergency,  to  ward  off  the  threatening 
consequences  of  Louis's  defeat,  and  to  contrive  new  materials 
for  the  conflict.  With  contracted  eyebrows  he  walked  thought- 
fully up  and  down  the  apartment,  and  did  not  hear  the  open- 
ing of  the  door,  or  notice  the  entrance  of  his  wife,  until  she 
came  toward  him,  calling  his  name. 

She  held  in  her  hand  a  irdvt  of  the  flowers  sent  her  by 
Adrian,  while  the  remainder  were  fastened  to  her  dress. 

"  Take  these,"  she  said,  holding  out  the  nosegay.  "  Adrian, 
the  dear  boy,  gathered  them,  and  you  know  their  significance. " 

He  accepted  the  messengers  of  spring  gladly,  inhaled  their 
fragrance,  then  clasjued  Maria  to  his  breast,  jDressed  a  long 
kiss  upon  her  brow,  and  said,  sadly: 

"  This,  then,  is  the  celebration  of  our  first  wedding  anni- 
versary. Poor  wife!  Perhaps  the  Glipper  was  right,  and  it 
might  have  been  wiser  and  better  had  I  not  linked  your  fate 
to  mine." 

"  Peter/'  she  cried,  reproachfully,  "  why  do  vou  have  such 
thoughts?" 

"Louis  of  Nassau  has  fallen,"  he  murmured  gloomily; 
"  his  army  broken." 

"Oh!  oh!"  she  cried,  clasjring  her  hands  in  terror;  but  he 
continued : 

"It  was  our  last  venture.  The  treasury  is  empty,  and 
where  we  can  find  fresh  means — what  may  come  now —  I 
beg,  Maria,  that  you  will  leave  me  alone.  If  we  do  not  use 
the  present,  if  we  do  not  find  the  right  way  now,  things  will 
not,  can  not  go  well."  With  these  words  he  flung  the  flowers 
on  the  table,  seized  a  paper,  and  motioned  her  away. 

The  heart  of  the  wife  had  been  full  as  she  entered  the  room. 
She  had  expected  so  much  joy  in  this  hour,  and  now  she  stood 
lonely,  though  so  close  beside  hiin — helpless,  ashamed,  and 
wounded. 

Maria  had  grown  up  in  the  midst  of  this  contest  for  freedom, 
and  knew  how  to  appreciate  the  serious  nature  of  the  news  he 
had  just  received.  During  the  wooing,  he  had  told  her  that 
she  must  expect  a  life  of  danger  and  disturbance  at  his  side; 
yet  she  had  joyfully  gone  to  the  altar  with  this  brave  fighter 
for  the  good  cause,  for  she  hoped  to  become  the  sympathizer 
in  his  cares  and  contests.  And  now?  What  could  she  be  to 
him?    WThat  would  he  receive  from  her?    What  was  he  per- 


TflE  burgomaster's  wife.  2? 

mitting  her  to  share  of  his  anxiety  even  on  their  wedding-day? 
There  she  stood,  with  a  heart  that  shrunk  from  saying  she 
would  as  gladly  help  him  to  bear  sorrow  and  privation  as  pros- 
perity and  honor. 

So  soon  as  he  had  found  what  he  sought,  he  seized  his  hat, 
but  noticing  her  pale  face  and  disappointed  look,  his  heart 
was  touched— he  longed  to  give  expression  to  the  great  and 
warm  love  he  felt;  but  in  this  hour,  with  the  grief  and  the 
burden  of  care  upon  his  beart,  he  could  not.  So  he  only  held 
out  both  hands  toward  her,  and  said,  heartily: 

"  Surely  you  know  what  you  are  to  me,  Maria,  but  if  you 
do  not,  I  shall  tell  you  in  the  evening.  I  must  go  now  while 
the  members  of  the  Council  are  together,  or  a  whole  day  will 
be  lost,  and  at  this  juncture  we  must  save  the  moments. 
You  see  how  it  is,  Maria. ' ' 

The  young  wife  cast  her  eyes  on  the  floor.  She  would  glad- 
ly have  flung  herself  upon  his  breast,  but  injured  pride  for- 
bade, and  some  secret  influence  held  back  her  hands,  that  she 
could  not  place  them  within  his  outstretched  ones. 

"  Farewell,"  she  said,  sullenly. 

He  cried,  reproachfully:  "  Maria,  this  surely  is  not  the  day 
for  pouting.     Come,  and  show  yourself  my  sensible  wife." 

But  she  hesitated,  and  he,  hearing  four  o'clock  strike,  which 
marked  the  time  for  the  Council  to  disperse,  left  the  room, 
without  looking  again  toward  her. 

The  nosegay  lay  still  on  the  writing-table — she  saw  it,  and 
with  difficulty  held  back  her  tears. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

A  crowd  of  citizens  were  gathered  before  the  court  house, 
for  the  news  of  Louis  of  Nassau's  defeat  had  spread  rapidly 
through  the  eighteen  divisions  of  the  city,  and  everybody 
wanted  to  learn  the  details,  and  to  express  his  sorrow  and 
anxiety,  and  hear  what  measures  the  Council  would  jH-opose  in 
the  emergency. 

Two  messengers,  alas!  had  confirmed  the  tidings  brought 
by  Baron  Matenesse  van  Wibisma.  Louis  was  dead,  his  brother 
Henry  missing,  and  the  army  destroyed. 

Presently  the  city  clerk,  Jan  van  Hout,  who  had  instructed 
the  school-boys  on  the  same  morning,  appeared  at  a  window, 
and  spoke  to  the  citizens  of  the  blow  struck  at  the  freedom  of 
the  land,  and  exhorted  them  with  pithy  eloquence  to  uphold  the 
good  cause  by  the  devotion  of  their  lives  and  property.  Loud 
applause  followed  this  speech. 


28  the  burgomaster's  wife. 

Gay  caps  and  plumed  hats  were  swung  in  the  air,  sticks  and 
swords  were  nourished,  and  the  women  and  children,  who 
crowded  in  among  the  men,  waved  their  handkerchiefs  and 
made  their  shriller  voices  heard  above  those  of  the  citizens. 

The  members  of  the  valiant  city  guard  had  gathered  to  com- 
mission their  captain  to  assure  the  assembled  Council  that  the 
"  Schutterig  "  would  devote  every  drop  of  blood  and  all  their 
worldly  goods  to  William  of  Orange;  and  that  they  chose  to 
die  for  Holland  rather  than  live  under  the  tyranny  of  Spain. 
Among  them  one  could  see  many  thoughtful  and  troubled 
fares;  for  these  men,  who  filled  their  ranks  according  to  vol- 
untary choice,  were  strongly  attached  to  the  Prince  of  Orange. 
His  sorrow  touched  them,  and  the  needs  of  the  land  rent  their 
hearts. 

So  soon  as  the  four  burgomasters,  the  eight  sheriffs,  and  the 
members  of  the  Council  present  showed  themselves  at  the  win- 
dow, hundreds  struck  into  the  "  Geusenlied,"*  which  had 
already  been  started  by  a  few  single  voices;  and  as,  with  the 
going  down  of  the  sun,  the  easy-going  people  scattered  and 
went  away,  singly,  or  by  twos  and  threes,  arm  in  arm,  toward 
the  houses  of  entertainment,  in  order,  through  a  fresh  drink, 
to  strengthen  their  confidence  in  the  coming  of  better  days, 
and  drive  away  some  natural  cares,  one  might  have  thought  a 
victory  were  being  celebrated  in  the  market-place  of  Leyden 
and  its  neighboring  streets.  These  patriotic  cries,  and  the 
"  Geusenlied  "  so  vigorously  poured  forth,  proved  that  these 
hundreds  of  Hollandish  throats  were  in  condition  to  rend  the 
air  with  still  more  powerful  tones. 

This  observation  had  been  made  by  three  well-dressed  citi- 
zens walking  through  the  street,  past  the  Blue  Stone;  the 
eldest  of  whom  said  to  his  companions:  » 

"  Now  they  brag,  and  shout,  and  fancy  themselves  strong, 
but  we  shall  hear  a  different  song  pretty  soon/' 

"  God  forbid  the  worst!"  exclaimed  one  of  the  others;  "  but 
the  Spaniards  are  surely  coming  again,  and  in  my  district  I 
know  some  who  will  not  lend  their  voices  for  resistance." 

"  They  are  right,  a  thousand  times  right.  Requesens  is  no 
Alva,  and  if  we  commend  ourselves  to  the  mercy  of  the 
king—" 

"  Then  there  would  be  no  more  blood  spilled,  and  all  would 
go  for  the  best." 

"I  prefer  Holland  to  Spain,"  said  the  third;  "  but  after 

*  Beggars'  Hymn. 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIPE.  29 

Mook  Heath  the  day  for  resistance  is  past.  Orange  may  be  a 
grand  prince,  but  the  shirt  comes  nearer  to  me  than  the  coat." 

"  And,  in  fact,  it  is  only  for  him  that  we  are  throwing  our 
lives  and  goods  into  the  game." 

"  So  my  wife  said  yesterday." 

"  He  does  not  help  the  trade,  at  least.  Believe  me,  many 
think  as  we  do.  Were  this  not  so,  that  '  Geusenlied  '■  would, 
have  been  louder." 

"  For  every  three  clever  peoj)le  there  always  five  fools,"  said 
the  older  citizen.  "  I  have  been  very  careful  to  keep  my 
mouth  shut. " 

"  And  what  is  there  so  wonderful  about  this  cry  of  freedom? 
Alva  has  burned  the  Bible  readers,  De  la  Marc  hangs  the 
priests.  My  wife  likes  to  go  to  mass,  but  she  goes  secretly,  as 
if  doing  something  wrong. 

"We  stick  to  the  old  faith,  too." 

"It's  faith  here,  and  faith  there,"  said  the  third  speaker. 
"  We  are  Calvinists,  but  I  am  tired  of  throwing  my  earnings 
into  the  jaws  of  Orange,  and  it  can  not  give  me  pleasure  to  see 
the  poles  before  the  Cow  Gate,  where  my  stuff  hangs,  pulled 
down  again,  before  the  yarn  has  had  time  to  dry." 

''Let  us  only  keep  together,"  advised  the  elder.  "The 
people  do  not  trust  themselves  to  say  what  they  really  think, 
and  every  ragged,  penniless  fellow  wants  to  play  hero.  But  I 
tell  you,  there  are  sensible  men  enough  in  each  district,  and 
even  in  the  Council  and  among  the  burgomasters. " 

"  Hush!"  whispered  one  of  the  citizens,  "  there  comes  Van 
der  Werff,  with  the  city  clerk  and  the  young  Baron  van  der 
Does.     They  are  the  worst  of  all." 

The  three  so-named  came  along  the  street,  conversing  ear- 
nestly in  low  tones. 

"  My  uncle  is  right,  Master  Peter,"  said  Jan  van  der  Does, 
the  same  tall  man  who  in  the  morning  had  sent  Nicolas  van 
Wibisma  home  with  such  a  good  lesson. 

"  There  is  no  other  way.  You  must  seek  the  prince  and 
consult  him. " 

"  I  must  certainly,  and  will  go  early  in  the  morning." 

"  Do  not  wait  until  morning,"  broke  in  Van  Hout;  "the 
prince  travels  rapidly,  and  if  you  do  not  find  him  in  Delft — " 

"Go  on  before  me,"  begged  Van  der  Werff.  "  You  have 
the  record  of  our  session. " 

"  I  can  not;  but  how  is  it  that  your  good- will  fails  for  the 
first  time  to-day? — you  who  are  the  friend  of  the  prince." 

' '  You  are  right,  Jan,  and  ought  to  know  what  keeps  me 
back." 


30  the  burgomaster's  wipe. 

"  If  it  bo  anything  in  which  a  friend  can  help,  here  he 
stands,"  said  Heir  van  Nordwyk. 

Van  der  Werff  took  cordially  the  hand  he  offered,  and  re- 
plied, laughing: 

"No,  llerr,  no.  You  know  my  young  wife.  This  is  the 
anniversary  of  our  wedding-day,  and  amid  all  tue  anxieties  I 
disgracefully  forgot  it." 

'*  That  is  hard,"  said  Van  Ilout,  softly.  But  he  straight- 
ened himself  directly,  and  added:  "  Yet,  were  I  in  your  place, 
I  would  go,  in  spite  of  Mistress  Maria. " 

"  Would  you  go  on  /his  day?" 

"  Yes,  for  to-morrow  may  be  too  late.  "Who  can  tell  how 
soon  our  egress  may  be  embarrassed,  and  before  we  come  to 
extremities,  we  ought  to  know  the  intentions  of  the  prince, 
lie  is  the  head,  we  are  the  hands.  You,  Herr,  stand  nearer  to 
him  than  any  of  us." 

"  God  knows  how  gladly  I  would  carry  a  good  word  to  him 
in  this  sad  hour,  but  to-day  it  can  not  well  be.  The  messenger 
has  ridden  forward  on  my  bay  horse. " 

"  Then  take  my  chestnut,  which  is  swifter,"  said  Janus 
Dousa,  and  Van  der  Werff  answered  at  once: 

"  Thanks,  Herr,  I  will  have  it  brought  early  to-morrow 
morning." 

A  flush  rose  to  the  face  of  Van  Hout  as  he  cried  out: 

"  Send  me  the  chestnut  steed,  my  friend,  if  the  burgomaster 
permits. " 

"  No,  send  him  to  me,"  broke  in  Peter,  composedly. 
"  What  must  be,  must  be.     I  ride  to-day." 

Van  Hout's  manly  face  glowed,  and  while  he  seized  the  hand 
of  the  burgomaster,  said,  in  a  tone  of  joy:  "  Thanks,  Herr 
IVter,  I  meant  no  offense.  You  know  my  temper.  If  the 
time  seem  long  to  your  young  wife,  send  her  to  mine." 

"  Or  to  mine,"  added  Dousa.  "  It  is  curious  what  a  differ- 
ence there  is  between  the  two  words  '  may  '  and  '  ought/  The 
freer  and  better  a  man  becomes,  so  much  the  surer  is  the  first 
to  become  the  servant  of  the  second." 

"  And  yet  I  wager,  Herr  Peter,  that  your  wife  will  change 
the  meaning  of  those  words  to-day  and  believe  that  you  have 
offended  grievously  against  the  '  ought/  These  are  bad  times 
for  the  '  may. '  " 

Van  der  Werff  nodded  acquiescently,  and  then  in  brief  words 
recapitulated  "what  he  should  say  to  the  prince.  Before  his 
Aouse  the  three  men  parted  company. 

"  Tell  the  prince/  said  Van  Hout,  as  he  took  leave,  "  that 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  31 

we  are  ready  for  the  worst.     We  shall  hold  on  and  venture 
all." 

Janus  Dousa  measured  with  his  eyes  the  two  men  before 
him.,  his  lip  quivered,  as  was  his  habit  when  any  strong  emo- 
tion stirred  him,  and  an  expression  of  joy  and  confidence  light- 
ened his  face,  as  he  said : 

"  We  three  shall  hold  on,  and  stand  firmly.  The  tyrant 
may  break  our  necks,  but  he  can  never  make  them  bow. 
Body  and  soul,  money  and  goods — whatever  is  valuable,  or 
dear,  we  resign  all  for  this  highest  good.  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Van  der  Werff,  earnestly,  and  Van  Hout  add- 
ed, with  ardor: 

"  Yes,  yes,  and  three  times  yes." 

For  a  moment  these  men  of  united  purposes  held  their 
hands  clasped  together.  A  silent  oath  bound  them  in  that 
hour,  and  as  then  Herr  von  Nordwyk  went  one  way,  and  Van 
Hout  another,  the  citizens  who  met  them  fancied  they  had 
suddenly  increased  in  stature. 

Without  any  delay  the  burgomaster  went  to  the  room  of  his 
wife,  only  to  learn  that  she  had  gone  out  with  her  sister.  The 
maid  brought  in  a  light,  and  he  examined  the  wards  of  his 
pistols,  buckled  on  the  old  sword,  and  laid  together  a  few  nec- 
essary articles  into  the  pockets  of  his  saddle.  Then  he  walked 
up  and  down,  filled  with  thoughts  upon  his  mission. 

The  steed  of  Herr  van  Nordwyk  stamped  impatiently  on  the 
pavement  of  the  court,  and  the  evening  star  shone  over  the 
roof. 

When  the  burgomaster  came  out,  he  found  only  Adrian, 
but  not  his  wife.  So  he  commissioned  the  boy  to  give  heartiest 
greeting  to  his  mother,  and  say  to  her  that  he  was  forced  to 
seek  the  prince  immediately,  on  urgent  business.  The  little 
Elizabeth  was  already  in  her  night-dress;  but  the  old  servant 
brought  her  out  in  a  feather  coverlet,  and  he  kissed  the  sweet 
face  which  smiled  out  of  the  singular  wrapping,  pressed  his 
lips  on  the  forehead  of  Adrian,  and  repeated  the  message  for 
his  wife,  then  rode  off  down  the  Marenclorj)  Street. 

Two  women  came  toward  him  as  he  passed  Saint  Stephen's 
cloister,  coming  from  the  Rhineburg  gate.  He  did  not  notice 
them;  but  the  younger  one  threw  back  her  head-covering  to 
look  after  him,  and  seizing  the  wrist  of  her  comjDanion,  said, 
quickly:  "  That  was  Peter." 

Frau  Barbara  looked  up  and  answered:  "It  is  well  that  I 
am  not  timid.  Let  my  arm  go.  Do  you  mean  the  rider  just 
now  trotting  along  St.  Ursula's  Lane?" 

"  Yes,  it  is  Peter."  


32  the  burgomaster's  wife. 

"  Nonsense,  child.  The  boy  has  shorter  legs  than  that  great 
camel,  and  Peter  never  goes  out  at  this  hour." 

"But  it  was  he." 

"  God  forbid.  At  night  one  easily  mistakes  a  linden  for  a 
beech.     It  would  be  fine  in  him  not  to  come  home  to-night." 

Fran  Barbara  uttered  the  last  sentence  unguardedly,  for  sho 
had  up  to  this  time  shrewdly  avoided  the  appearance  of  suspect- 
ing that  all  was  not  as  it  should  be  between  Maria  and  her  hus- 
band, although  it  was  quite  clear  to  her.  She  wasaclever  wom- 
an, who  had  known  much  of  the  world,  and  did  not  undervalue 
her  brother's  importance  in  public  affairs;  and  even  went  so 
far  as  to  believe  that  excepting  the  Prince  of  Orange,  no  per- 
son on  earth  could  more  skillfully  lead  the  cause  of  freedom 
than  Peter;  but  she  felt  that  he  did  not  treat  his  wife  proper- 
ly, and,  as  a  just  woman,  silently  took  part  against  him. 

For  a  time  the  two  walked  on  in  silence.  At  length  the 
widow  said:  "  Perhaps  the  j:»rince  has  summoned  Peter.  At 
this  time,  and  after  such  a  blow,  one  can  not  tell.  So  you 
may  have  been  right." 

"  It  was  certainly  he,"  said  Maria. 

"  Poor  fellow,"  returned  her  companion.  "  That  must  be 
a  hard  task  for  him.  Much  honor,  much  labor!  But  you 
have  no  reason  to  let  your  head  droop,  for  your  husband  will 
return  to-morrow,  or  the  next  day.  But  I — look  at  me, 
Maria,  I  walk  straight  through  life,  doing  my  duty  cheerfully. 
My  cheeks  are  red,  I  have  a  good  appetite,  and  still  I  have 
been  forced  to  give  up  all  I  held  most  dear.  For  ten  years  I 
have  been  a  widow.  My  Gretchen  has  been  married  away  from 
me,  and  Wilhelm  I  sent  myself  to  sea  with  the  '  Beggars. ' 
Any  hour  may  take  him  from  me,  for  his  life  is  one  of  danger. 
What  has  a  widow,  except  her  only  son?  And  yet  I  gave  him 
to  his  land.  That  is  harder  than  to  see  a  man  ride  off  on  his 
marriage  anniversary,  who  surely  has  not  gone  for  his  own 
pleasure. " 

"  We  are  at  home,"  said  Maria,  knocking;  and  as  Trautchen 
opened  the  door,  Barbara  asked:  "  Is  your  master  at  home?" 

The  answer  was  "  No,"  as  she  had  expected.  Trautchen 
brought  in  the  supper,  but  conversation  did  not  go  beyond  the 
necessary  questions  and  answers. 

After  Maria  had  hurriedly  asked  the  blessing,  she  turned  to 
Barbara,  expressing  the  wish  to  retire  on  account  of  headache. 

"  Go  to  rest,"  answered  the  widow;  "  I  shall  sleep  in  the 
next  room,  and  will  leave  the  door  open.     In  darkness  and 
silence,  strange  fancies  sometimes  come." 
,    Maria  kissed  her  sister  with  honest  warmth,  and  laid  herself 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  33 

down;  but  she  could  find  no  sleep,  and  tossed  restlessly  from 
eide  to  side  until  midnight.  Hearing  Barbara  cough  in  the 
next  room,  she  sat  up  and  asked: 

"  Sister-in-law,  are  you  asleep?" 

"  No,  child;  are  you  unwell?" 

"  Not  that;  but  I  am  so  troubled  and  tormented  with  bad 
thoughts — " 

Barbara  lighted  a  candle,  and  going  into  Maria's  sleeping- 
room,  sat  down  on  the  edge  of  the  bed.  It  touched  her  heart 
to  see  this  young,  lovely  being  lying  so  troubled  and  lonely  on 
her  white  pillow;  and  she  could  not  refrain  from  stroking  the 
hair  away  from  her  forehead,  and  kissing  her  fair  cheek. 
Maria  looked  gratefully  into  her  clear  blue  eyes,  and  said,  im- 
ploringly: 

"  I  want  to  ask  you  something." 

"  Very  well." 

"  But  you  must  answer  me  honestly." 

"  That  is  asking  a  good  deal." 

"  I  know  that  you  are  honest,  but  sometimes — " 

"  Out  with  your  question!" 

"  Did  Peter  live  happily  with  his  first  wife?" 

"Yes,  child,  certainly." 

"  Could  you  not  have  been  mistaken?" 

"  Surely  not,  in  this  case!  But  why  do  you  have  such 
thoughts?  The  Scripture  says:  '  Let  the  dead  bury  then- 
dead.  '     Now  turn  over  and  try  to  sleep. " 

Barbara  went  back  to  her  own  room;  but  hours  passed  be- 
fore Maria  found  the  slumber  she  sought. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Ox  the  next  morning  two  horsemen,  in  neat  uniform,  stood 
before  a  stately  house  on  the  Nobel  Street,  near  the  market- 
place, while  a  third  led  a  couple  of  roan  steeds  of  vigorous 
build  up  and  down. 

A  stable-boy  held  by  the  bridle  a  long-maned,  gayly  adorned 
pony,  evidently  designed  to  carry  the  young  negro  who  stood 
in  the  door-way,  and  with  a  frightful  rolling  of  the  eyes  and 
gnashing  of  his  white  teeth  kept  back  the  street-boys  who 
ventured  too  near. 

"Why  do  they  delay?"  exclaimed  one  of  the  horsemen. 
"  The  rain  will  not  wait  long  to-day." 

"  That  is  certain,"  returned  the  other.  "  The  sky  is  gray- 
as  my  old  felt,  and  before  we  reach  the  forest  we  shall  get  it." 

"  It  is  very  misty  already." 

2 


3-4  THE    BUBGOMASTEB'B  WIFE. 

"  I  do  not  like  this  cold,  damp  weather." 

"  Yesterday  was  much  better." 

"  Buckle  the  thips  over  the  pistol-holsters  more  securely. 
The  portmanteau  behind  the  saddle  is  not  straight.  That  is 
right.     Did  the  cook  fill  the  flask?" 

"  With  brown  Spanish.     It  is  tucked  in  there." 

"  Then  let  it  pour.  If  a  man  be  wet  inside,  he  can  better 
bear  outside  dampness. " 

"  Bring  up  the  horses;  I  hear  the  gentlemen. " 
The  horseman  was  not  mistaken,  for  before  his  fellow  had 
succeeded  in  bringing  the  larger  roan  to  his  place,  the  voice  of 
Hen  van  Wibisma  was  heard  issuing  from  the  wide  entrance- 
hall,  as  well  as  that  of  young  Nicolas,  his  son.  Both  were  ex- 
changing words  of  leave-taking  with  a  young  girl  whose  voice 
was  deeper-toned  than  that  of  the  youth. 

As  the  elder  gentleman  wound  his  hand  in  the  mane  of  the 
steed,  and  raised  his  foot  toward  the  stirrup,  the  girl  slipped 
through  the  door,  and,  laying  her  hand  on  Wibisma's  arm, 
said: 

"  Another  word  with  you,  uncle,  but  with  you  alone." 
The  baron,  still  holding  his  horse  by  the  mane,  replied,  with 
a  complaisant  smile: 

"If  it  be  not  too  ponderous  for  the  roan.  A  secret  from 
such  a  mouth  has  weight." 

With  tins  he  held  his  ear  toward  his  niece;  but  she  showed 
no  inclination  to  whisper,  for  she  came  no  nearer,  but  said, 
half  aloud,  in  the  Italian  language: 

"  Please  tell  father  that  I  can  not  stay  here." 

"  But,  Henrika!" 

"  Tell  him  I  will  do  it  on  no  condition!" 

"  The  aunt  will  not  let  you  go." 

"  Do  not  waste  words.     I  shall  not  stay." 

"  I  will  communicate  this  to  him,  though  in  somewhat 
milder  form,  if  you  please." 

"  As  you  choose.  Say,  also,  that  I  ask  him  to  send  for  me. 
If  he  does  not  wish  himself  to  enter  this  nest  of  heretics — for 
which  I  could  not  blame  him — he  can  send  horses,  or  the 
coach." 

"  And  your  reasons?" 

"  I  will  not  burden  you  more  heavily.  Make  haste,  or  the 
saddle  will  be  wet  before  you  are  off." 

"  Shall  I  also  promise  a  letter  to  Hoogstraten?" 

"  No.  Such  things  need  not  be  written.  It  is  quite  unnec- 
essary.    Tell  my  father  I  can  not  stay  with  aimt,  and  want  to 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   "WIFE.  35 

go  home.  Adieu,  Nico!  The  riding-boots,  and  green  waist- 
coat are  much  more  becoming  to  you  than  the  silken  finery. " 

And  the  girl  threw  a  kiss  to  the  youth,  who  had  long  ago 
swung  himself  into  the  saddle,  and  hastened  back  into  the 
house.  Her  uncle  shrugged  his  shoulders,  mounted  the  horse, 
wrapped  the  dark-colored  mantle  more  closely  about  his  shoul- 
ders, nodded  to  Nicolas,  and  they  rode  forward  together. 

So  long  as  their  way  led  through  the  city  streets,  not  a  word 
was  spoken;  but  at  the  gate,  Wibisma  said: 

"  Henrika  is  tired  of  Leyden,  and  wishes  to  go  back  to  her 
father." 

"  It  can  not  be  very  easy  to  live  with  aunt,"  answered  the 

youth. 

"  She  is  old  and  sick,  and  her  life  is  joyless." 

"But  she  must  once  have  been  handsome,  though  now  so 

different.     But  her  eyes  are  like  those  in  the  portrait,  and  then 

she  is  so  rich. " 

"  That  does  not  make  one  happy.'" 

"  But  why  has  she  never  married?" 

"  It  was  certainly  not  the  fault  of  the  men,"  returned  the 
baron,  shrugging  his  shoulders." 

"  Why,  then,  did  she  not  enter  a  convent?" 

"  Women's  hearts  are  harder  to  understand  than  are  your 
Greek  books.  That  you  will  learn  by  experience.  What  took 
place  between  you  and  her  as  I  came  out?" 

"  There,  just  look,"  answered  the  boy,  taking  the  bridle 
between  his  teeth  and  drawing  Ins  glove.  "  She  put  this  ring 
on  my  finger." 

A  noble  emerald!     She  rarely  parts  with  such  things." 
At  first  she  offered  me  another,  saying  it  was  to  make  up 
for  the  thumps  I  received  yesterday  for  my  loyalty  to  the  king. 
Was  not  that  droll?" 

"  More  than  droll,  I  should  say." 

"  It  was  against  nature  to  receive  a  gift  as  a  reward  for  my 
bruises,  so  I  quickly  drew  my  hand  back  and  said  the  Burger 
boys  had  taken  yours  home  with  them,  and  in  return  for  that 
I  would  accept  the  ring. " 

"  That  was  right,  Nico." 

"  She  said  the  same  thing,  laid  the  little  ring  back  in  the 
casket,  found  another,  and  here  it  is." 

"  A  costly  jewel,"  muttered  the  baron;  and  thought  within 
himself:  "  This  gift  is  a  good  omen.  He  and  the  Hoogstratens 
are  her  nearest  heirs,  and  if  that  foolish  girl  does  not  stay  with 
her,  it  may  be — " 


3G  the  bubgomasteb's  wife. 

But  his  speculations  were  suddenly  broken  off,  for  Nicolas 
exclaimed: 

"  Sere  comes  the  rain!  Does  not  the  mist  over  the  meadow 
yonder  look  as  il"  the  clouds  had  dropped  from  the  sk\  ?  I  am 
shivering  with  cold." 

"  Draw  your  mantle  closer." 

"'  How  it  rains  and  hails!  One  would  believe  winter  were 
come  again.  The  water  in  Che  ditches  is  black,  and  yonder — . 
just  look — what  is  that?" 

Beside  the  road  was  a  small  tavern,  before  which  stood  a 
single  tall  elm.  whose  trunk,  straight  and  bare  as  a  mast, 
reached  the  roof  before  spreading  into  branches. 

Upon  one  of  the  highest  of  these,  still  bare  of  foliage,  was  a 
Hag  in  the  colors  of  the  House  of  Orange,  and  from  another 
hung  a  great  doll,  looking  like  a  man  dressed  in  black.  From 
a  third  there  dangled  an  old  hat,  and  on  still  another  appeared 
a  placard,  on  which,  in  great  black  letters,  that  the  rain  had 
already  begun  to  obscure,  was  written: 

"  '  Long  life  to  Orange  and  death  to  the  Spaniard.' 
Such  is  Peter  Quatgelat's  welcome. " 

This  grotesquely  adorned  tree  was  an  unattractive  object  in 
the  cold  gray  fog  of  this  April  morning. 

Near  to  this  doll,  which  swung  to  and  fro  in  the  wind,  the 
ravens  had  stationed  themselves,  and  seemed  to  regard  it  as  a 
hanging  man.  They  must  have  been  very  stupid  birds,  for 
during  all  the  years  that  the  Spaniards  had  ruled  in  Holland, 
the  places  of  execution  had  never  been  vacant.  Perhaps  they 
only  croaked  in  vexation,  still  they  remained  on  the  tree. 

There  was  something  shocking  and  repulsive  in  this  cari- 
cature of  the  gallows,  especially  as  contrasted  with  the  gay 
adornments;  and  one  could  but  think  also  of  the  venturesome 
agility  necessary  in  arranging  it. 

But  Nicolas  laughed  aloud,  and  pointing  upward,  asked: 

"  What  kind  of  fruit  hangs  on  those  branches?" 

But  in  the  next  instant  he  felt  himself  shuddering,  for  a 
raven,  perched  upon  the  black  figure,  was  pecking  at  it  with 
his  strong  bill,  and  the  two  swung  back  and  forth  together  like 
a  pendulum. 

"  What  does  that  mad  thing  signify?"  asked  the  baron, 
turning  to  the  servant  who  rode  behind  him — a  bold  and  ob- 
servant fellow. 

"  It's  some  kind  of  tavern  sign,"  was  the  reply.  "  Yester- 
day, when  the  sun  shone  on  it,  it  was  comical;  but  to-day— ° 
b-r-r — it's  ugly!" 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  37 

The  eyes  of  the  nobleman  were  not  sharp  enough  to  make 
out  the  words  on  the  placard;  but  as  Nicolas  read  them  aloud 
he  inwardly  uttered  a  curse,  and  turning  again  to  the  servant, 
asked:  "And  does  that  silly  nonsense  attract  guests  for  this 
rascally  landlord?" 

"  Yes,  sir;  and  by  my  soul,  yesterday,  before  the  raven 
brood  were  there,  it  was  devilish  droll — one  couldn't  look  at  it 
without  laughing.  Half  Leyden  was  out  here — there  was  such 
a  crowd,  'twas  hard  to  get  through.  On  the  grass-plot  yonder 
all  was  life  and  noise.  Bagpipes  and  fiddles  never  ceased  for  a 
moment.  And  the  jolly  crowd  shouted.  My  ears  haven't  got 
over  it  yet.  'Twas  play  and  dance,  play  and  dance.  The 
youug  fellows  flung  their  brown  and  blue  and  red-stockinged 
legs  into  the  air,  in  answer  to  the  fiddle,  and  the  coat-tails 
flew.  With  a  girl  on  one  arm,  and  the  beer-mug  high  over 
their  heads,  until  the  foam  flew,  all  were  whirling.  They 
screamed  and  shouted  as  if  every  buttercup  in  the  meadow 
had  turned  into  a  golden  florin.  But  to-day —  Sacred  Florian! 
this  is  a  rain!" 

"  It  Avill  be  good  for  the  things  up  there,"  cried  the  baron. 
"  In  such  a  torrent  the  tinder  grows  damp,  or  I  would  draw 
out  the  pistols  and  shoot  down  that  shabby  liberty-cap  and  the 
colored  rags  from  that  tree." 

"  Yonder  was  the  dancing-place,"  remarked  the  servant, 
pointing  to  the  trampled  sod. 

"These  people  are  possessed,  perfectly  possessed!"  ex- 
claimed the  baron.  "  To-day  all  dancing  and  jubilation;  to- 
morrow the  wind  will  shake  the  hat  and  the  flag  from  the  tree, 
and  instead  of  the  black  doll,  they'll  come  themselves  to  the 
gallows.  Be  quiet,  roan!  quiet!  This  half  frightens  the 
horse.  Unstrap  the  portmanteau,  Gerritt,  and  give  a  wrap 
to  the  young  gentleman." 

'  Instantly,  sir.  But  would  it  not  be  better  that  you  go 
under  shelter  until  the  shower  is  over?  Sacred  Florian !  Look 
at  the  ice  in  that  horse's  mane!  The  pieces  are  as  large  as  a 
pigeon's  egg.  There  are  two  horses  already  under  the  shed, 
and  Quatgelat's  beer  is  not  bad. " 

The  nobleman  looked  inquiringly  at  his  son,  who  said:  "  Let 
us  go  in.  We  shall  reach  the  Hague  early  enough.  Only  see 
how  the  poor  Balthazar's  teeth  chatter.  Henrika  said  he  was 
only  a  white  fellow  painted  black;  but  if  she  could  see  how  fast 
the  color  holds  in  this  weather,  she  would  take  the  word 
back." 

Herr  van  Wibisma  turned  his  dripping,  steaming,  fright- 


3S  THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE. 

ened  horse  toward  the  shed,  and  after  a  few  moments  crossed 
the  threshold  of  the  beer-house  in  company  with  his  son. 


CHARTER  VI. 

Warm  air,  saturated  with  the  odors  of  beer  and  of  cooking, 
met  the  senses  of  the  travelers  as  they  entered  the  low  guest- 
room, dimly  lighted  on  two  sides  by  windows  which  were 
scarcely  more  than  loopholes.  The  beer-house  itself  resembled 
the  cabin  of  a  ship.  Floor,  ceiling,  the  tables  and  chairs  were 
of  the  same  dark-brown  wood,  and  the  side  walls  were  fur- 
nished with  beds  arranged  like  berths. 

The  host  came  forward  to  meet  his  guests  with  fawning  ob- 
sequiousness, and  led  them  to  the  open  chimney-place,  where  a 
fire  of  peat  was  burning,  which  served  the  threefold  purpose 
of  warming  the  air,  of  partly  lighting  the  gloomy  space,  and 
of  roasting  three  fowls  suspended  about  it  on  slender  iron 
sjrikes. 

As  the  new  guests  approached  the  fire,  the  old  wife,  who  was 
watching  the  fowls,  rose  from  her  seat,  letting  a  white  cat 
slide  from  her  lap  to  the  floor;  and  the  host  flung  some  gar- 
ments which  were  hanging  upon  a  coivple  of  chairs  to  dry  to 
07ie  side,  putting  in  their  place  the  dripping  mantles  of  the 
baron  and  his  son.  While  the  elder  Wibisma  ordered  a  warm- 
ing drink  for  himself  and  his  company,  Nicolas  led  the  negro 
to  the  fire.  The  shivering  fellow  cowered  near  the  ashes, 
holding  now  his  wet  feet,  shod  in  red  morocco,  and  now  his 
chilled  fingers  toward  the  blaze.  Father  and  son  took  their 
places  beside  a  table,  over  which  the  maid  spread  a  linen  cloth. 

The  baron  could  scarcely  refrain  from  calling  their  landlord 
— an  obsequious,  pock-marked  dwarf,  whose  clothing  was  of 
exactly  the  same  color  as  the  wood-work  of  the  room — to  ac- 
count for  the  odious  decoration  of  the  tree,  but  forbore,  un- 
willing to  enter  upon  a  quarrel  in  such  a  place,  especially  be- 
cause there  sat  near  to  his  own  table  two  citizens  of  Leyden, 
with  one  of  whom  he  was  acquainted. 

When  Nicolas  looked  around  the  room,  he  nudged  his  fa- 
ther, and  asked,  in  low  tones: 

"  Have  you  noticed  the  men  yonder?  The  younger — the 
one  just  now  raising  the  cover  of  his  mug — is  the  organist 
who  rescued  me  from  the  boys  yesterday,  and  lent  me  his 
cloak." 

"  The  one  yonder?"  asked  the  baron.  "  He  is  a  fine-look- 
ing young  man,  who  might  be  taken  for  an  artist,  or  some- 
thing of  that  sort.     Hey,  landlord,  who  is  the  young  man  with 


THE    BURGOMASTERS  WIPE.  39 

great  eyes,  and  brown  locks,  talking  with  the  fencing-master 
Allertssohn?" 

'It  is  Herr  Wilhelm,  younger  son  of  Cornelius,  the  tax- 
receiver — a  player,  or  musician,  as  they  call  it." 

"  Eh,  eh  I"  cried  the  baron.  "  His  father  was  an  old  Ley- 
den  acquaintance.  He  was  a  good,  a  most  excellent  man,  un- 
til this  nonsense  about  freedom  turned  the  heads  of  people. 
The  young  man  has  a  very  pleasant  face.  There  is  something 
pure  in  its  expression;  something  that's  hard  to  define.  What 
do  you  think,  Nico?  Is  it  not  like  our  holy  Sebastian?  Shall 
I  speak  to  him,  and  thank  him  for  his  kindness?" 

The  baron  did  not  wait  his  son's  answer — whom  he  loved 
to  treat  as  an  equal — and  rose  at  once  to  express  his  kindly 
feeling  toward  the  musician;  but  an  unexpected  obstacle  pre- 
vented the  carrying  out  of  this  laudable  intention.  The  man 
whom  the  baron  had  called  Allertssohn  became  aware,  to  his 
great  vexation,  that  the  outside  garments  of  the  Glippers 
were  hanging  before  the  fire,  while  his  own  and  that  of  his 
companion  had  been  flung  upon  a  bench,  and,  just  as  the  baron 
rose,  he  pushed  back  his  chair  violently,  leaning  his  arms  on 
the  edge  of  the  table,  and  turning  his  martial  countenance  with 
abrupt  jerks  from  the  host  to  the  nobleman,  cried  aloud: 

"  Peter  Quatgelat — if  you — who  gave  you,  you  shabby  hunch- 
back, the  right  to  throw  our  cloaks  into  a  corner?" 

"Yours,  Herr  Captain,"  stammered  the  host,  "were 
already — " 

"  Hold  your  tongue,  you  fawning  sneak,"  thundered  the 
other,  in  so  loud  a  tone  and  in  such  excitement  that  the  long 
gray  mustache  on  his  upper  lip  swayed  back  and  forth  and 
the  beard  on  his  chin  trembled.  "  Hold  your  tongue.  We 
know  better.  Court  is  paid  here  to  noblemen's  mantles. 
They  are  of  Spanish  cut,  and  very  becoming  to  Glippers. 
Good  Dutch  cloth  is  thrown  into  the  corner.  Ho!  ho!  Broth- 
er Crooklegs,  we'll  have  you  out  on  parade." 

"  I  beg  you,  noble  captain — " 

"  I  blow  upon  your  '  noble;'  you  not-at-all-noble,  you  lump 
of  clay!  '  First  come,  first  served,'  is  the  law  in  Holland,  and 
has  been  since  the  days  of  Adam  and  Eve.  Prick  up  your 
ears,  Crooklegs!  If  my  '  noble  '  cloak,  and  that  of  Herr  Wil- 
helm  are  not  back  in  their  old  places  before  I  count  twenty, 
something  will  happen  that  you  will  not  like.  One — two — ■ 
three—" 

The  landlord  cast  an  anxious,  questioning  glance  at  the 
nobleman,  and  when  he  said  distinctly,  shrugging  his  shoul- 
ders, "  Surely  there  is  room  for  more  than  two  cloaks  beforo 


40  THE    BUKOOMASTElt's  WIjfK. 

the  fire,"  Quatgelat  took  the  over-garments  of  the  Leydeners 
from  the  bench,  and  hung  them  upon  two  chairs,  which  he 
pushed  up  to  the  fire.  "While  this  was  being  done  the  fen- 
cing-master counted  slowly.  When  he  reached  twenty  the 
landlord  had  completed  the  task,  but  the  excited  captain  gave 
him  no  rest,  and  said: 

"  Now  for  our  reckoning,  man.  Wind  and  rain  are  not 
agreeable,  but  I  know  worse  company.  There's  room  enough 
before  the  fire  for  four  cloaks,  and  in  Holland  for  all  the  ani- 
mals in  Noah's  Ark,  except  for  the  Spaniards  and  their  con- 
federates. Pfui,  all  my  bile  is  disturbed.  Come  with  me  to 
the  horses,  Herr  Wilhelm,  or  some  misfortune  will  happen. " 

With  these  last  words  the  fencing-master  fastened  his  promi- 
nent eyes,  which,  even  in  commonest  things,  had  the  expres- 
sion of  looking  at  something  remarkable,  angrily  upon  the 
nobleman. 

But  he  did  not  seem  to  notice  the  threatening  words,  and,  as 
the  fencing-master  left  the  room,  went  quietly  and  with 
dignified  bearing  toward  the  musician,  bowed  politely,  and 
thanked  him  for  the  kindness  he  had  shown  his  son  on  the 
preceding  day. 

"  You  are  certainly  under  no  obligation  to  me,"  answered 
Wilhelm  Corneliussohu.  "  I  stood  by  the  young  man,  be- 
cause it  looks  badly  to  see  one  person  attacked  by  many." 

"  Permit  me  to  applaud  your  sentiment,"  returned  the 
baron. 

"  Sentiment!"  repeated  the  musician,  with  a  slight  smile, 
drumming  on  the  table. 

The  baron  followed  silently  for  a  little  while  the  motion  of 
his  fingers,  then,  stepping  nearer  to  the  young  man,  asked: 
"  Must  then  everything  be  dragged  into  this  political  quar- 
rel?" 

"  Yes,"  answered  Wilhelm,  firmly,  turning  his  face  with  a 
quick  motion  toward  the  elder  man.  "  In  these  times,  yes, 
and  twenty  times  yes.  It  would  not  be  well  for  you  to  discuss 
sentiments  with  me,  Herr  Matenesse." 

"  Each  one,"  returned  the  knight,  '•'  holds  his  own  to  be 
right,  of  course;  but  he  should  show  respect  to  those  of 
ol  hers." 

"  No,  sir,"  broke  in  the  musician.  "  Tn  these  days  there 
is  for  us  but  one  sentiment.  I  wish  nothing  to  do  with  Hol- 
landers who  differ  from  us;  not  even  to  drink  at  the  same 
table.  Pardon  me,  sir,  hut  my  traveling  companion  is,  as  you 
have  unfortunately  learned,  of  irascible  blood,  and  does  not 
like  to  wait. " 


THE    BF RGOM ASTER'S   WIFE.  41 

With  that  he  bowed  slightly,  waved  his  hand  to  Nicolas, 
went  to  the  fire-place  and  took  the  half-dried  cloak  on  his  arm, 
threw  a  gold  piece  on  the  counter,  took  a  covered  cage,  in 
which  birds  were  fluttering,  into  his  hand,  and  left  the  room. 
The  baron  looked  after  him  in  silence.  The  simple,  outspoken 
words  and  abrupt  departure  of  the  young  man  awoke  within 
him  painful  emotions.  He  believed  himself  to  be  wishing  the 
right,  and  yet,  in  this  moment,  the  feeling  would  come  that 
something  like  a  stain  rested  on  the  cause  he  represented. 

It  is  always  easier  to  be  sought  than  to  be  shunned,  and  so 
an  expression  of  deep  annoyance  rested  on  the  affable  features 
of  the  nobleman  as  he  turned  again  to  his  son. 

Nicolas  had  not  lost  a  word  of  the  organist,  and  the  blood 
had  departed  from  his  ruddy  cheek,  when  forced  to  see  that 
this  man,  toward  whom  his  heart  was  strongly  attracted,  turned 
his  back  upon  his  father,  as  upon  a  dishonorable  person,  with 
whom  he  did  not  like  to  associate.  The  words  of  Janus  Dousa 
on  the  day  before  returned  with  great  force  to  his  memory, 
and  as  the  baron  again  took  his  place  opposite,  the  boy  raised 
his  eyes  to  him,  and  asked  timidly,  but  with  a  touching  sin- 
cerity : 

"Father,  what  does  this  mean?  Are  they  then  all  wrong 
who  prefer  to  be  Dutch  rather  than  Spanish?''' 

Wibisma  looked  at  his  son  in  astonishment  and  disapproval, 
and  because  he  had  felt  his  own  confidence  shaken  even  for  a 
moment,  and  since  a  blustering  word  often  renders  good  ser- 
vice where  possibility  or  will  is  lacking  to  combat  with  reason, 
he  cried  out,  more  harshly  than  for  years  he  had  spoken  to 
his  favorite  son: 

"  Are  you,  too,  beginning  to  swallow  the  bait  with  which 
the  Orange  party  entice  simpletons?  Another  such  word,  and 
I  will  show  you  how  one  treats  conceited  young  prigs.  See 
here,  landlord,  what  is  that  foppery  out  on  the  tree  yonder?" 

"  The  j>eople,  baron,  the  Leyden  fools,  not  I,  your  grace, 
are  to  blame  for  that  nuisance.  When  the  soldiers  who  had 
been  stationed  in  the  city  during  the  siege  were  discharged, 
they  tricked  out  the  tree  in  this  disgraceful  style.  I  keep  this 
house  as  tenant  of  the  elder  Baron  van  der  Does,  and  dare  not 
have  opinions  of  my  own — for  one  must  live — but  so  truly  as  I 
hope  to  die  hapj)y,  I  am  loyal  to  King  Philip. " 

"  Till  the  Leydeners  come  again,"  returned  Wibisma,  bit- 
terly.    "  Did  you  keep  this  house  during  the  siege?" 

"  Yes,  sir;  the  gracious  Spanish  lords  found  no  fault  with 
me,  and  if  you  do  not  despise  the  services  of  a  poor  mau,  my 
gracious  sir,  I  am  at  your  disposal." 


42  THE    BURGOMASTER'S    Will. 

"  So,"  murmured  the  baron,  and  looked  attentively  at  the 
ugly  figure  of  the  landlord,  out  of  whose  small  eyes  glittered 
intense  cunning.  Then,  turning  to  Nicolas,  he  said: 
"  Amuse  yourself  with  the  blackbirds  in  the  window  yonder. 
I  have  something  to  say  to  our  host." 

The  youth  ran  immediately,  and  while,  instead  of  looking 
at  the  birds,  he  followed  with  "his  eyes  the  two  men  so  ardently 
devoted  to  the  liberty  of  Holland,  as  they  rode  along  the  road 
to  Delft,  he  recalled  the  figure  of  the  chains  which  drag  down- 
ward, and  in  fancy  he  saw  the  glittering  of  that  which  King 
Philip  had  cast  about  his  father.  Involuntarily,  lie  turned  to 
look  at  him.  He  stood  whispering  with  the  landlord,  with 
one  hand  on  his  shoulder.  Was  it  right  for  him  to  hold  such 
intercourse  with  a  person  whom  at  the  bottom  of  his  heart  he 
must  despise?  Or  must  he  really — and  he  shuddered,  for  the 
word  "  traitor,"  that  one  of  the  school-boys  had  shouted  into 
his  ear  during  the  contest  beside  the  church,  came  to  his 
thoughts. 

As  the  rain  subsided,  the  travelers  left  the  inn.  The  baron 
allowed  the  ugly  landlord  to  kiss  his  hand  at  parting,  but 
Nicolas  would  not  permit  his  touch.  During  their  ride  to  the 
Hague  few  words  were  exchanged  between  father  and  son. 

But  the  organist  and  fencing-master  on  their  way  to  Delft 
were  less  disposed  to  silence. 

Wilhelm  suggested  modestly,  as  became  the  younger  man, 
that  his  companion  had  given  too  lively  expression  to  his  hos- 
tile feelings  toward  Wibisma. 

"  You  are  quite  right,"  returned  Allertssohn,  which  name 
his  friends  shortened  to"Allerts."  "That  blood!  oh,  that 
blood!  You  don't  suspect,  Herr  Wilhelm.  But  we  will  let 
that  go." 

"  No,  go  on,  master." 

"  You  will  think  no  better  of  me  if  I  do. " 

"  Then  let  us  talk  of  something  else." 

"  No,  Wilhelm.  I  am  not  ashamed  of  myself,  and  no  one 
would  take  me  for  a  timid  hare." 

The  musician  laughed,  and  exclaimed : 

"  You  a  timid  hare!  How  many  Spaniards  has  your  Bres- 
cian  sword  brought  down?" 

"  More  stabbed  than  cut  down,  sir,"  answered  the  other. 
"  Were  the  devil  to  challenge  me  1  should  ask:  '  Foils,  sir,  or 
Spanish  swords?'  But  there  is  one  I  am  afraid  of,  and  that  is 
at  the  same  time,  my  best  and  my  worst  friend,  a  Nether- 
lander like  you,  and  that  you  may  know  him,  he  is  the  man 
riding  beside  you.     Yes,  sir,  when  I  am  in  a  rage,  when  my 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE.  43 

beard  begins  to  tremble,  then  the  little  Sense  I  have  flies  off  as 
quickly  as  your  doves  do  when  you  let  them  loose.  You  don't 
know  me,  Wilhelm. " 

"  Is  that  so,  master?  How  often  then  must  one  see  you  in 
command  and  visit  you  at  the  fencing-school?" 

"  Pshaw!  there  I  am  quiet  as  the  water  in  yonder  ditch;  but 
when  something  goes  against  my  inward  convictions — how 
shall  I  explain  it  to  you,  shortly  and  concisely,  without  any 
figure  of  speech?" 

"Goon." 

"  As,  for  example,  when  I  must  let  pass  the  hypocrite  we 
met,  as  if  he  were  the  Baron  Upright. " 

"  That  vexes  you  greatly." 

"  Vexes?  No.  Then  I  am  as  savage  as  a  tiger,  and  I  dare 
not  allow  myself —  .  Eoland,  my  former  self,  who  might 
well—" 

"  Master,  master,  your  beard  begins  to  tremble  again?" 

"  What  might  the  Glippers  have  fancied  when  their  most 
noble  cloaks — " 

"  The  landlord  had  removed  yours  and  mine  with  his  own 
hand  from  the  fire." 

"  What  did  I  care?  But  the  crook-legged  monkey  did  it  to 
flatter  the  Spanish  sycoj)hant.  That  enraged  me — that  I 
could  not  bear." 

"  You  did  not  restrain  your  rage,  and  I  was  surprised  to  see 
how  patiently  the  baron  bore  your  invectives." 

"  That  was  just  it,  that  was  it,"  cried  the  fencing-master, 
and  his  beard  began  to  tremble  violently.  "  That  was  what 
drove  me  out  of  the  den — that  made  me  take  to  my  heels. 
Eoland,  my  former  self — " 

"  I  do  not  understand  you,  master." 

"  No?  But  how  should  you?  I  will  explain  myself.  See 
here,  young  man ;  when  you  are  as  old  as  I  am  you  will  have 
learned  by  experience.  There  are  few  thoroughly  sound  trees 
in  a  forest,  seldom  a  horse  without  defect,  not  many  swords 
free  from  blemish,  scarcely  a  man  who  has  lived  forty  years 
without  some  secret  grief.  One  gnaws  slowly,  another  is  a 
sharp  torment — and  mine — mine —  Would  you  like  to  cast  a 
glance  in  here?"  The  fencing-master  struck  upon  his  broad 
breast,  and  then,  without  awaiting  the  answer  of  his  com- 
panion, went  on:  "  You  know  me  and  my  life,  Herr  Wilhelm. 
What  I  do  is  only  knightly  work.  My  whole  being  is  devoted 
to  the  sword.  Do  you  know  a  better  weapon  or  a  surer  hand 
than  mine?  Are  my  soldiers  obedient?  Have  I  been  careful 
of  my  own  life  in  the  conflict  behind  the  red  walls  and  towers 


14  Tin-:    B1  i;<.o.\iaktkk's  WIPE. 

yonder?    No,  by  my  Roland,,  former  self,  no,  and  a  thousand 
times  no." 

"Who  denies  that,  Master  Allerts?  But  tell  me,  what  do 
you  mean  by  the  cry,  '  Poland,  my  former  self?'  " 

"  Some  other  time,  Wilhelm,  but  you  must  not  interrupt 
me  now.  llear  rather  the  end  as  to  where  the  worm  hides 
within  me.  To  repeal,  what  I  do  and  practice  is  knightly 
work,  yet  when  a  Wibisrua,  who  learned  from  my  father  to 
use  the  sword,  meets  me  so  inopportunely,  and  stirs  all  my 
bile,  I  ask  what  would  he  do  were  I  to  challenge  him?  He 
would  only  laugh  and  ask:  '  What  will  the  passage  cost,  ]\I r. 
Fencing-master  Allerts?  Have  you  well-polished  rapiers?' 
Perhaps  he  would  give  no  answer  at  all,  and  how  he  would  act 
we  have  just  had  an  example.  His  glance  slipped  by  me  like 
an  eel,  and  he  had  wax  in  his  ears.  Whether  1  should  revile, 
or  a  cur  were  barking  at  his  heels,  is  all  the  same  to  him. 
Had  only  a  Renneberg,  or  a  Brederode  been  in  my  place,  how 
quickly  would  the  "Wibisma  sword  have  leaped  from  its  scab- 
bard, for  he  understands  fighting,  and  is  no  coward.  But  1? 
No  man  likes  to  be  slapped  in  the  face,  but  so  surely  as  my 
father  was  a  good  man,  even  the  worst  insult  were  easier  to 
bear  than  the  consciousness  of  being  thought  too  mean  even  to 
offer  an  affront.  You  see,  Wilhelm,  when  the  Glipper  looked 
beyond  me — " 

"  Then  your  beard  lost  its  composure." 
"  You  joke,  but  you  do  not  know — " 
"  Ah,  Herr  Allerts,  I  understand  you  well." 
"  Then  do  you  comprehend  why  I  took  myself  and  my  sword 
out  of  the  way  so  quickly?" 

"  Perfectly,  but  I  pray  you  to  wait  a  moment.  The  doves 
in  here  are  fluttering  so  anxiously  they  must  want  air." 

The  fencing-master  drew  rein,  and  asked,  while  Wilhelm 
took  the  dripping  cover  from  the  little  cage,  which  he  carried 
between  himself  and  the  neck  of  his  horse: 

"  How  can  a  man  bother  himself  with  such  delicate  creat- 
ures? But  if  you  want  to  shorten  the  time  given  to  music, 
for  the  sake  of  the  feathered  folk,  then  tame  falcons;  that  is 
a  knightly  occupation  and  I  can  teach  you." 

"Leave  my  doves  in  peace,"  answered  Wilhelm.  "They 
are  not  so  delicate  as  one  might  think,  and  in  many  a  war, 
which  is  certainly  chivalrous  sport,  they  have  shown  them- 
selves useful.  Remember  Haarlem.  It  is  beginning  to  rain 
again.  If  only  my  cloak  were  not  quite  so  scanty  I  should 
like  to  cover  the  birds. " 


THE    BtJUGOMASTEu'S  WIPE.  45 

tc  You  do  indeed  look  in  it  like  Goliath  in  the  garments  of 

r>a7id." 

"  This  is  my  school-boy  cloak;  the  other  I  lent  yesterday  to 

young  Wibisma. " 

"  The  Spanish  green-peak?" 

"  I  have  already  told  you  the  squabble  among  the  boys." 

"  Yes,  and  the  green  monkey  kept  your  cloak?" 

"  You  brought  me  away,  and  would  not  wait.      It  was 

probably  returned  soon  after  we  left. " 

"  And  the  gracious  Herr  expected  thanks  because  the  youth 

accepted  it?" 

"  No,  no,  the  baron  expressed  his  gratitude." 

"  But  that  does  not  make  your  cape  any  longer.     Take  my 

cloak,  Wilhelm;  I  have  no  doves  to  shelter,  and  my  skin  is 

thicker  than  yours. " 


CHAPTEE  VII. 

A  second  and  a  third  rainy  day  followed  the  first.  White 
fog  and  gray  mist  hung  low  over  the  meadows.  The  cold, 
damp,  north-west  wind  drove  the  clouds  together  and  darkened 
the  heavens.  Little  streams  descended  from  the  steep  roofs 
of  Leyden  to  the  streets;  the  water  in  the  moats  and  canals 
became  turbid  and  swollen  to  the  very  edge  of  the  banks. 
Dripping  men  and  women  hastened  past  one  another  without 
any  exchange  of  greeting;  while  even  the  pair  of  storks  pressed 
closer  together  in  their  nest,  with  a  memory  of  the  warm 
south,  and  mourning  their  too  early  return  to  the  cool  and 
damp  plains  of  Holland. 

People  of  gloomy  temperament  were  anxious  as  to  what 
might  be  coming.  As  the  fresh  blades  in  the  grain-fields,  so 
did  fear  grow  in  the  hearts  of  many  citizens.  Conversation, 
which  sounded  anything  but  hopeful,  was  heard  in  some  of  the 
beer-shops;  while  in  others,  continued  resistance  was  denounced 
as  folly,  or  actual  desertion  of  the  cause  of  the  prince  and  of 
liberty  was  demanded. 

Whoever  in  these  days  sought  a  joyous  face  in  Leyden  might 
look  long  in  vain.  Least  of  all  was  it  to  be  expected  in  the 
house  of  the  Burgomaster  van  der  Werff. 

Three  days  had  now  passed  since  the  sudden  departure  of 
Peter.  Yes,  it  was  almost  noon  of  the  fourth,  and  still  he  had 
not  returned,  and  no  word  of  explanation,  or  of  friendly  re- 
membrance had  been  received  by  his  family. 

Maria  had  arrayed  herself  in  a  dress  of  some  light-blue 
fabric,  with  Mechlin  lace  in  the  square  neck,  for  this  w»a  «* 


46  the  r.rnnoMAsTcu's  wife. 

favorite  dress  with  her  husband,  and  to-day  she  felt  sure  he 
would  come.  The  spray  of  wall-flower  on  her  breast  had  been 
cut  from  the  growing  plant  in  the  window  of  her  chamber,  and 
Barbara  had  assisted  in  the  dressing  of  her  abundant  hair. 

It  wanted  but  one  hour  of  noon  \\  lien  the  slight,  delicate  fig- 
ure of  the  young  wife  entered  the  work-room  of  the  burgo- 
master, with  a  white  dusting-cloth  in  her  hand.  She  went 
first  to  the  window,  over  the  panes  of  which  the  rain  was  fall- 
ing in  manifold  serpentine  streams,  to  press  her  face  against 
it,  and  to  look  down  into  the  deserted  street.  Water  stood  be- 
tween the  smooth  red  bricks  of  the  pavement.  A  porter,  clat- 
tering along  in  heavy  wooden  shoes — a  maid,  with  head  closely 
wrapped,  hurried  swiftly  past;  a  cobbler's  buy.  with  a  pair  of 
tall  boots  over  his  shoulder,  sprung  from  puddle  to  puddle, 
carefully  avoiding  the  dry  spots — but  no  rider  was  in  sight. 
It  was  unnaturally  still  on  the  street,  and  in  the  house  she 
heard  only  the  pelting  of  the  rain.  Without  first  hearing  a 
hoof -beat,  Maria  dared  not  expect  her  husband,  but  she  did 
not  peer  into  the  distance.  She  only  looked  down  dreamily 
into  the  street,  and  at  the  incessant  rain. 

The  room  had  been  carefully  warmed  for  the  return  of  a 
drenched  traveler,  but  through  the  cracks  in  the  window-frames 
Maria  felt  the.  draughts  of  cold  air.  She  shivered,  and  as  she 
shrunk  back  into  the  half  dim  space,  it  seemed  to  her  thai  it 
would  always  remain  in  twilight — that  there  could  be  no  more 
clear  sunshine. 

Some  little  time  elapsed  before  she  remembered  her  object 
in  coming  to  the  room.  But  then  she  passed  her  duster  over 
the  writing-table,  the  piles  of  papers,  and  whatever  else  the 
room  contained. 

At  length  she  came  to  the  pistols,  which  Peter  had  not  taken 
upon  his  journey.  Over  these  hung,  at  a  considerable  height, 
the  portrait  of  her  husband's  first  wife.  This  was  in  greater 
need  of  the  improving  hand  than  the  weapons,  for  Maria  had 
always  shrunk  from  touching  it.  To-day  she  summoned  her 
courage,  and  placing  herself  in  position  to  see  it  distinctly, 
she  gazed  with  intcntness  at  the  youthful  features  of  the  wom- 
an with  whom  Peter  had  been  happy.  She  felt  herself  strange- 
ly attracted  by  the  brown  eyes  which  looked  from  the  pleasant 
face. 

Yes,  the  woman  above  there  seemed  contented,  almost  arro- 
gantly so. 

How  much  more,  perhaps,  had  Peter  given  his  first  wife 

than  he  had  to  her?     This  thought  cut  her  to  the  heart,  and 

'  without  moving  her  lips,  she  put  a  series  of  questions  to  the 


THE    Bt  RGOMASTEE'S   WIFE.  47 

dumb  portrait,  which  looked  down  upon  her  with  an  expres- 
sion of  such  serene  satisfaction  from  its  plain  frame.  Once 
the  full  lips  seemed  to  quiver  and  the  eyes  to  move.  A  cold 
tremor  seized  her  blood,  and  she  felt  frightened,  but  still  could 
not  tear  herself  away  from  the  picture.  With  wide-open  eyes 
she  stared  upward,  motionless,  but  with  quickened  breath  and 
keener  gaze. 

Upon  the  high  forehead  of  the  departed  Eva  lay  a  shadow. 
Had  the  painter  intended  thus  to  represent  a  faint  expression 
of  trouble  or  anxiety?  Or  was  it  only  a  gathering  of  dust? 
She  drew  a  chair  before  the  picture  and  placed  her  foot  upon 
the  seat.  In  doing  this  she  was  obliged  to  lift  her  dress. 
Blushing  as  if  some  other  than  the  painted  eye  looked  down 
upon  her,  she  drew  it  modestly  over  the  white  stocking,  and 
sprung  with  a  quick  motion  into  the  chair.  Now  she  stood 
eye  to  eye  with  the  portrait,  and  carried  the  cloth  in  her  trem- 
bling hand  over  the  forehead  of  Eva,  and  wiped  the  shadow 
from  the  rosy  flesh.  She  blew  the  dust  from  the  frame  and 
the  canvas,  and  noticed  the  signature  of  the  artist,  to  whom 
the  painting  owed  its  existence. 

■'  Artjen,  of  Leyden/'  was  the  name,  and  his  careful  hand 
had  finished  with  punctilious  exactness  the  minutest  details. 
She  recognized  the  silver  chain  and  the  blue  turquois  on  the 
plump  neck — for  Peter  had  given  her  these  when  a  bride,  and 
she  had  worn  them  at  the  altar — but  the  little  cross  of  dia- 
monds suspended  from  the  middle  she  had  never  seen.  The 
gold  buckle  at  Eva's  girdle  had  belonged  to  herself  since  her 
last  birthday,  but  the  dull  points  were  so  badly  bent  they 
would  scarcely  pierce  the  thick  ribbon. 

"She  had  all  these  things  when  they  were  new,"  said  Maria 
to  herself.  "  But  what  do  I  care  for  the  ornaments?  It  is  the 
heart — the  heart.  How  much  love  did  she  leave  in  Peter's 
heart!""  Involuntarily  these  words  repeated  themselves  over 
and  over  to  her  inward  ear,  and  she  was  forced  to  exercise 
much  self-control  not  to  weep. 

'  If  he  would  only  come!"  was  the  loud  cry  in  her  heavily 
foreboding  heart. 

Without  her  notice  the  door  opened.  Barbara  entered  and 
called  her  name  with  a  kindly  reproof.  Maria  was  startled, 
and  said,  blushing: 

"  Please  give  me  your  hand.  I  want  to  get  down.  I  have 
finished.     The  dust  was  a  disgrace." 

As  she  again  stood  upon  the  floor,  the  widow  exclaimed: 

"  Hear  me,  sister-in-law — hear  me,  child — "  Barbara  was 
interrupted  by  a  loud  knocking  at  the  house  door,  and  Maria 


48  tiie  uurgomaster's  wife. 

harried  to  the  window,  where  she  was  followed  by  the  widow, 
who.  after  a  hasty  glance  into  the  street,  exclaimed: 

"  That  is  Wilhelm  Corneliussohn,  the  musician.  lie  has 
been  to  Delft.  I  heard  this  from  his  mother.  Perhaps  he 
brings  news  from  Peter.  I  will  send  him  up  to  you,  but  he 
shall  first  tell  me  his  errand  below.  If  you  want  me,  you  will 
find  me  with  Elizabeth.  She  is  flushed,  and  lias  pain  in  her 
eyes.     She  may  have  some  eruption,  or  a  fever." 

Barbara  left  the  room.  Maria  pressed  her  hand  over  her 
naming  cheeks  and  walked  slowly  up  and  down  until  there 
was  a  knock  on  the  door,  and  the  musician  entered.  After 
the  first  words  of  greeting,  the  young  wife  asked: 

'"  Did  you  see  my  husband  in  Delft?" 

"Yes,  indeed,"  answered  Wilhelm;  "on  the  evening  of 
day  before  vesterdav." 

"Then  tell  me— " 

"  Instantly.  I  bring  you  a  whole  package  of  messages. 
First  from  your  mother. " 

"  Is  she  well?" 

"Yes,  well  and  cheery.  So,  too,  is  the  worthy  Doctor 
Groot." 

"  And  my  husband?" 

"  I  found  him  with  the  doctor.  Herr  Groot  sends  you  his 
best  wishes.  There  wras  a  musical  entertainment  at  his  house, 
both  yesterday  and  the  day  before.  He  has  always  the  latest 
Italian  novelties,  and  if  we  only  had  those  motets — " 

"  Afterward,  Herr  Wilhelm.  First  you  ought  to  tell  me 
what  my  husband — " 

"  The  burgomaster  came  to  the  doctor  with  a  commission 
from  the  prince.  He  was  in  haste,  and  he  could  not  wait  for 
the  singing.  It  went  off  finely.  And  you  need  have  no  doubt 
as  to  the   tabulature.       If    only  you,   with  your  excellent 


voice — " 


"  I  beg  you,  Master  WTilhelm." 

"  No,  worthy  lady,  you  should  not  hesitate.  Herr  Groot 
said  that  when  you  were  a  girl,  no  one  in  Delft  could  carry  the 
tenor  like  you,  and  if  you  and  the  noble  Frau  van  Nordwyk, 
and  Herr  van  Aken's  eldest  daughter — " 

"  But,  dear  Master  Wilhelm,"  cried  Maria,  with  growing 
impatience,  "  I  am  not  asking  about  your  motets  and  tabu- 
latures,  but  after  my  husband." 

Wilhelm  looked  into  the  face  of  the  }roung  wife,  half  aston- 
ished ami  half  frightened.  Then  he  shook  his  head,  laughing 
at  his  own  awkwardness,  and  said,  with  good-natured  peni- 
tence: 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE.  49 

"  It  is  true  that  little  things  appear  unduly  important  to 
us  when  our  own  souls  are  filled  with  them.  One  word  about 
your  absent  husband  would  be  more  acceptable  to  your  ears 
than  all  my  music.  I  should  have  thought  of  that  sooner. 
But  now — the  burgomaster  is  well,  and  has  much  intercourse 
with  the  prince.  Yesterday  forenoon,  before  he  left  for  Dor- 
trecht,  he  gave  me  this  letter,  and  charged  me  to  place  it  in 
your  hands,  with  his  warmest  greeting." 

With  these  words,  Wilhelm  gave  her  a  letter,  which  she  took 
quickly  from  his  hand,  sajring: 

"  Do  not  be  affronted,  Herr  Wilhelm,  but  we  will  discuss 
your  motet  to-morrow,  or  at  any  other  time  which  may  suit 
you;  but  to-day — " 

"  To-day  you  must  give  your  time  to  this  letter/'  broke  in 
Wilhelm.  "  That  is  only  natural.  The  messenger  has  dis- 
charged his  commission,  and  the  music-master  will  try  his  fort- 
une with  those  notes  at  another  time." 

As  soon  as  the  young  man  had  gone,  Maria  went  to  her  own 
room,  and  sat  down  by  the  window  to  open  with  hasty  hand 
the  letter  of  her  husband  and  to  read: 

"My  beloved  and  faithful  Wtife, — Master  Wilhelm 
Corneliussohu,  of  Leyden,  will  deliver  this  letter.  I  am  well, 
but'  it  was  a  sore  trial  to  leave  you  on  the  anniversary  of  our 
wedding-day.  The  weather  is  very  unpleasant.  I  found  the 
prince  in  deep  affliction,  but  we  do  not  give  up  hope,  and  if 
the  dear  God  help,  and  each  one  does  his  duty,  all  may  yet  be 
well.  I  must  go  to-day  to  Dortrecht.  What  I  have  to  do 
there  is  important.  Have  patience,  for  it  may  be  yet  several 
days  before  I  can  return  home. 

"  Should  any  messenger  from  the  Council  inquire,  give  him 
the  papers  which  lie  on  the  right-hand  side  of  my  writing- 
table,  under  the  smaller  leaden  tablet. 

"  Greeting  to  Barbara  and  the  children.  If  money  is 
needed,  ask  Secretary  von  Hout  for  the  balance  of  accounts 
due  to  me;  he  knows  about  it.  Should  you  feel  lonely,  visit 
his  wife,  or  Frau  van  Nordwyk.  They  would  be  glad  to  see 
you.  Buy  flour,  butter,  cheese,  and  smoked  meats  whenever 
there  is  opportunity.  One  knows  not  what  may  come.  Take 
counsel  of  Barbara!    Trusting  in  your  obedience, 

"  Your  faithful  husband, 
"Peter  Adrianssohn  van  der  Werff." 

Maria  read  this  letter  at  first  hurriedly,  then  slowly,  scan- 
ning sentence  by  sentence.  Disappointed,  grieved,  wounded, 
6he  refolded  it,  and — she  knew  not  why— snatched  the  wall- 


00  THE    BUEGOMASTEE'S   WIFE. 

flowers  from  her  dress,  and  threw  them  into  the  box  of  peat 
beside  the  chimney. 

Then  she  opened  her  chest,  and  taking  from  it  a  neatly 
carved  casket,  she  placed  it  upon  the  table,  opened,  and  laid 
tlic  letter  of  her  husband  inside.  Long  after  it  had  found  its 
place  among  the  other  papers,  Maria  stood  in  the  same  spot, 
gazing  thoughtfully  at  the  contents  of  the  box.  At  length  she 
laid  her  hand  on  the  cover  to  close  it,  but  still  delayed,  and 
took  up  a  package  of  letters  which,  with  a  few  gold  and  silver 
coins,  gifts  of  her  god-parents,  some  modest  trinkets,  and  a 
withered  rose,  lay  at  the  bottom. 

Thereupon  she  drew  a  chair  to  the  table  and  began  to  read. 
The  writing  of  these  letters  she  knew  well. 

They  had  been  written  by  a  noble  and  promising  youth  to 
her  sister,  his  betrothed  bride,  and  were  dated  at  Jena,  where 
he  had  gone  to  pursue  his  legal  studies.  Every  word  breathed 
the  ardent  longing  of  the  lover,  every  line  expressed  the  pas- 
sion which  filled  the  heart  of  the  writer.  Sometimes  the  prose 
of  this  young  scholar,  who,  as  a  pupil  of  Dr.  Groot  in  Delft, 
had  learned  to  love  her  sister  while  scarcely  more  than  a  child, 
rose  to  quite  exalted  strains.  While  she  read,  Maria  recalled 
the  lovely  face  of  Jacoba  and  that  of  the  enthusiastic  bride- 
groom. She  remembered  the  joyous  wedding,  and  the  impetu- 
ous young  nobleman,  the  gifted  friend  of  her  brother-in-law, 
who  had  come  into  Holland  as  his  groomsman,  and  who,  at 
parting,  had  given  her  the  rose  lying  now  in  her  treasure- 
casket. 

No  voice  had  ever  rung  so  musically  in  her  ears,  and  from 
no  other  mouth  had  come  such  poetical  language.  Never  had 
eyes  so  brilliant  looked  into  hers  as  those  of  this  young  Thur- 
ingian  nobleman. 

After  the  wedding,  Georg  van  Dornburg  had  returned  home, 
and  the  young  married  pair  went  to  Haarlem. 

She  had  never  heard  again  from  the  stranger,  and  the  voices 
of  her  sister  and  her  brother-in-law  were  soon  hushed  forever. 
Like  most  of  the  residents  of  Haarlem,  they  had  met  death 
through  the  Spanish  destroyer  at  the  capture  of  this  noble  but 
hapless  city.  Nothing  remained  of  this  dear  sister  but  her 
own  faithful  memories  and  the  letters  of  her  betrothed  bride- 
groom. 

These  spoke  love — the  true,  exalted  love,  which  can  speak 
with  an  angel's  tongue,  or  move  mountains.  There  lay  her 
husband's  letter.  Poor  epistle!  She  avoided  opening  it  again 
as  she  replaced  the  treasured  mementoes  in  the  casket;  and 
yet  her  heart  beat  high  as  she  thought  of  Peter.     She  knew, 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  51 

too,  that  she  loved  him,  and  that  his  faithful  heart  belonged 
to  her.  Still,  she  was  not  satisfied  or  happy,  for  he  showed 
her  only  tenderness,  and  a  sort  of  fatherly  affection,  and  she 
wanted  to  be  loved  in  another  way. 

The  pupil,  yes,  the  friend  of  the  learned  Groot,  who  had 
grown  up  in  familiar  intercourse  with  cultivated  men,  and  the 
enthusiastic  patriot,  was  conscious  that  she  was  capable  of  be- 
ing far  more  to  her  husband  than  he  asked  of  her. 

She  had  not  expected  gushing  sentiment  or  high-flown  com- 
pliments from  this  earnest,  practical  man,  but  she  had  believed 
he  would  understand  and  appreciate  all  that  was  high  and 
noble  in  her,  and  permit  her  to  share  his  struggles  and  be  the 
companion  of  his  thoughts  and  feelings.  That  it  had  proved 
otherwise  was  freshly  evident  from  the  barren  letter  just  re- 
ceived. He  had  been  a  trusted  friend  of  her  father,  who  was 
no  more  among  the  living.  Her  deceased  brother-in-law  also 
had  attached  himself  with  all  the  enthusiasm  of  youth  to  Van 
der  Werff,  the  matured  champion  of  freedom.  When  he  had 
spoken  of  him  to  Maria,  it  had  been  in  terms  of  warmest  love 
and  admiration. 

Soon  after  the  decease  of  her  father  and  the  violent  end  of 
the  youthful  pair,  Peter  had  come  to  Delft,  and  had  expressed 
his  sympathy,  and  offered  consolation  in  such  hearty,  vigorous 
words,  that  they  had  seemed  an  anchor  to  hold  her  soul  firm 
in  this  time  of  need. 

The  brave  Leydener  came  often  to  Delft,  and  was  always  a 
guest  in  the  house  of  Dr.  Groot.  While  the  gentlemen  con- 
sulted together,  Maria  was  permitted  to  fill  their  glasses  and 
hear  their  discussions. 

Words  flew  back  and  forth,  and  often  seemed  to  her  neither 
clear  nor  wise,  but  those  of  Van  der  Werff  were  always  sensi- 
ble, and  a  child  might  have  understood  his  direct,  plain  speech. 
He  seemed  to  her  like  an  oak-tree  among  swaying  willows. 
She  had  been  aware  of  several  journeys  that  he  undertook,  at 
the  peril  of  his  life,  in  the  service  of  the  prince  and  for  the 
cause  of  his  country,  and  had  awaited  their  result  with  an  anx- 
ious heart. 

More  than  once  in  those  clays  had  the  thought  occurred  to 
her  that  it  would  be  delightful  to  be  borne  through  life  on  the 
strong  arms  of  this  steadfast  man;  and  when  the  strong  arm 
was  offered,  she  had  accepted  it  as  gladly  and  proudly  as  the 
squire  whom  a  king  summons  to  be  dubbed  a  knight.  As  she 
now  recalled  those  past  days,  how  vividly  rose  the  memory  of 
the  hopes  which  filled  her  soul  as  she  followed  him  to  Leyden. 

Her  newly  wedded  husband  had  promised.,  not  a  May  month, 


52  THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE. 

but  a  full  summer  and  autumn,  at  his  side.  Now  she  recalled 
this  figure  of  speech,  and  the  entirely  different  experience 
which  the  anion  with  him  had  brought  to  this  day. 

Storm,  tumult,  conflict,  an  endless  alternation  from  labori- 
ous work  to  excessive  weariness — this  was  his  life,  his  being, 
the  life  he  had  called  her  to  share,  without  allowing  her  any 
part  in  his  cares  and  labors. 

This  must  not,  could  not,  go  on.  All  that  had  made  life 
fair  in  the  house  of  her  parents  utterly  failed  here.  Music  and 
poetry,  which  had  elevated  her  nature  there,  refined  conversa- 
tion in  which  her  spirit  had  developed — they  could  not  be 
found  here.  Barbara's  good  sense  could  not  make  up  for 
their  loss.  She  would  willingly  have  given  up  all  for  the 
complete  love  of  her  husband;  but  how  could  that  be  secured? 

With  bitter  emotions  she  replaced  the  casket  in  the  chest, 
and  obeyed  the  call  to  dinner,  but  found  at  the  great  table 
only  Adrian  and  the  servants,  for  Barbara  Avas  with  Elizabeth. 

Never  before  had  she  realized  herself  so  desolate,  so  isolated, 
so  useless.  What  could  she  do  here?  Barbara  ruled  in 
kitchen  and  cellar,  while  she — she  only  stood  in  the  way  of  her 
husband's  duties  to  city  and  to  country. 

Such  were  her  thoughts,  when  she  again  heard  the  knocker 
at  the  house  door.  Looking  from  the  window  she  saw  the 
physician.  Elizabeth  had  grown  worse,  and  she,  her  mother, 
had  not  even  inquired  for  the  little  one. 

"  The  children,  the  children!"  she  exclaimed  to  herself;  "  I 
promised  Peter  to  treat  them  as  if  they  were  my  own;"  and 
her  heart  grew  lighter  as  she  added:  "  I  will  fulfill  what  I  have 
undertaken." 

In  joyful  excitement,  she  went  to  the  dimly  lighted  sick- 
room, closing  the  door  hastily  as  she  entered.  Dr.  Bontius 
looked  up  with  a  warning  glance,  and  Barbara  said:  "  Gently, 
gently;  Elizabeth  has  fallen  asleep." 

Maria  approached  the  bed,  but  the  physician  motioned  her 
back  with  the  question: 

"  Have  you  had  the  purple  fever?" 

"No." 

"  Then  you  ought  not  to  come  again  into  this  room.  Where 
Barbara  is  nurse  no  other  help  is  needed." 

The  burgomaster's  wife  made  no  reply,  but  returned  to  the 
passage.  Her  heart  was  unutterably  heavy,  for  she  seemed  a 
stranger  in  the  house  of  her  husband.  She  longed  to  be  in 
the  open  air,  and  winding  a  wrap  about  her  head,  she  de- 
scended the  stairs,  to  find  the  odor  of  leather  rising  from  the 
bales  piled  in   the  broad  hall  of  the  lower  floor,  which  before 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  53 

she  had  scarcely  noticed,  quite  intolerable.  She  longed  for 
her  mother,  her  friends  in  Delft,  and  the  quiet,  pleasant 
home.  For  the  first  time  she  ventured  to  call  herself  unhappy, 
and  while  with  downcast  eyes  making  her  way  through  the 
street,  against  the  wind,  contended  in  vain  against  some  mys- 
terious power  which  forced  her  .to  ask  why  all  had  resulted  so 
different  from  her  hopes  and  anticipations. 


CHAPTEE  VIII. 

After  the  musician  left  the  house  of  the  burgomaster,  he 
went  to  that  of  the  aunt  of  the  young  Baron  Matenesse  van 
Wibisma,  to  get  the  cloak  which  had  not  yet  been  returned  to 
him.  He  was  not  over-fastidious  about  his  dress,  yet  felt  glad 
that  the  rain  was  keeping  people  at  home,  for  the  outgrown 
garment  at  present  upon  his  shoulders  was  far  from  attract- 
ive. 

Of  this  he  was  specially  conscious  in  the  spacious  vestibule 
of  the  spinster  Hoogstraten,  where  the  steward  Belotti  received 
him  as  condescendingly  as  though  he  were  a  beggar.  But  the 
Neapolitan,  whose  use  of  the  vigorous  Dutch  sounded  like  the 
hoarse  rattling  of  a  singer  who  had  taken  cold,  struck  a  differ- 
ent note  when  Wilhelm  quietly  explained  to  him  in  good 
Italian  the  purpose  of  his  coming.  The  arrogant  manner  of 
the  servant  dissolved  instantly  under  the  pleasant  sound  of  his 
mother-tongue — transformed  into  active  and  ready  devotion. 
He  was  now  disposed  to  talk  with  Wilhelm  about  his  home, 
but  the  latter  gave  him  a  brief  command  to  fetch  the  cloak. 
Belotti  led  him  politely  into  a  small  room  at  the  side  of  the 
large  vestibule,  removed  his  cloak,  and  ran  upstairs. 

As  the  moments  went  by,  and  at  last  a  full  quarter  of  an 
hour  had  passed  without  the  ajniearance  0f  either  servant  or 
cloak,  the  young  man  lost  his  usual  patience,  and  thrummed 
on  the  leaden  window  casement,  which  was  in  threatening 
peril  when  the  door  opened.  Wilhelm  was  conscious  of  this, 
yet  kept  on  thrumming  with  increased  vehemence  in  order  k) 
show  the  Italian  that  he  was  tired  of  waiting.  But  his  fingers 
were  quickly  withdrawn  when  the  clear,  girlish  voice  behind 
him  said,  in  excellent  Dutch: 

"  Have  you  finished  your  battle-song,  sir?  Belotti  is  bring- 
ing your  cloak." 

Wilhelm  had  turned  around,  and  looked  in  utter  surprise 
and  bewilderment  into  the  face  of  the  young  lady  of  noble 
rank  who  stood  before  him.  The  features  were  not  strange — 
still,  the  years  do  not  make  even  a  goddess  younger  and  the 


54  Tin:    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE. 

daughters  <>f  men  increase  in  stature — but  the  lady  he  thought 
he  saw  before  him  was  one  well  known  in  Rome,  and  never 
forgotten.  Yet  she  must  have  been  older  and  taller  than  the 
girl  who  bo  much  resembled  her,  and  who  .seemed  to  find  no 
amusement  in  the  surprised  and  searching  glance  of  the  young 
man:  for  she  nodded  to  the  steward  with  a  proud  gesture,  and 
said  in  Italian:  "Give  the  gentleman  his  cloak,  Belotti,  and 
say  that  I  came  to  ask  pardon  for  your  negligence. " 

Benrikavan  I  loogstrateii  turned  to  leave  after  "uttering  these 
words,  but  Wilhelm  took  two  quick  steps  after  her,  and  cried: 

"  Not  so,  noble  lady;  I  am  the  one  to  ask  pardon.  But  if 
you  have  ever  been  surprised  by  a  resemblance — " 

'"Anything  but  looking  like  other  people/'  cried  the  girl, 
with  a  gesture  of  scorn. 

"  Ah,  fraulein,  and  yet — " 

"  Let  it  pass/'  broke  in  Henrika,  in  so  irritated  a  tone  that 
the  musician  looked  at  her  in  surprise.  "  One  sheep  looks 
like  every  other,  and  out  of  a  hundred  peasants  twenty  will 
have  the  same  face.     All  wares  sold  by  the  dozen  are  cheap." 

As  soon  as  Wilhelm  heard  some  reasons  brought  forward,  he 
recovered  his  usual  quiet  manner,  and  answered,  modestly: 

"  But  nature  sets  the  most  beautiful  things  in  pairs.  Think 
of  the  eyes  in  the  face  of  the  Madonna, — " 

"  Are  you  a  Catholic?" 

"  A  Calvinist,  noble  lady." 

"  And  devoted  to  the  cause  of  the  prince?" 

"  Say  rather  to  the  cause  of  liberty." 

"  That  accounts  for  the  thrumming  of  the  battle-song." 

"  It  was  at  first  a  gentle  gavotte,  but  impatience  quickened 
the  time.     I  am  a  musician,  lady." 

"  But  probably  no  drummer.     Alas  for  the  window-panes!" 

"  It  is  an  instrument  like  any  other,  and  in  playing,  people 
of  our  sort  try  to  give  exact  expression  to  what  we  feel." 

"  Accept  my  thanks  for  not  having  broken  them  to  pieces." 

"  That  would  not  have  been  harmonious,  fraulien,  and  art 
ceases  when  discord  begins." 

"  Do  you  consider  the  song  which  was  inside  your  cloak — it 
fell  upon  the  ground  and  Nico  picked  it  up — to  be  harmony 
or  discord?" 

"  This  one,  or  that?" 

"  I  mean  the  '  Beggar's  Song.'  " 

"  It  is  wild,  but  no  more  discordant  than  the  roaring  of  a 
Btorm. " 

"  It  is  repulsive,  coarse,  exasperating." 

"  I  consider  it  strong  and  of  inirjetuous  power." 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE.  55 

"  And  this  other  melody?" 

"  Spare  me  your  opinion.  I  have  myself  composed  it.  Do 
you  read  music,  noble  fraulein?" 

"A  little." 

"  And  has  my  attempt  displeased  you?" 

"  Not  exactly;  but  I  find  doleful  strains  in  this  choral,  as  in 
all  the  Calvinistic  hymns." 

"  That  depends  upon  how  they  are  executed." 

"  They  seem  arranged  for  the  voices  of  shop-keepers'  wives 
and  washer-women  in  your  chapels." 

"  Every  song,  if  it  be  sincerely  felt,  will  give  wings  to  the 
soul  of  the  simple  folk  who  use  it,  and  what  thus  ascends  from 
the  inmost  depths  of  the  heart,  to  the  dear  Lord  unto  whom 
they  are  addressed,  will  not  displease  Him.     And  then — " 

"Goon." 

"  And  if  these  notes  are  worthy  of  preservation,  it  may  prove 
that  some  time  an  incomparable  choir — " 

"  Will  sing  them  under  your  leadership,  do  you  mean?" 

"  No,  fraulein;  they  have  fulfilled  their  mission  when  once 
executed  in  a  noble  manner.  I  might  well  desire  to  be  among 
the  singers,  but  this  wish  stands  far  behind  the  other." 

"  How  modest!" 

"  I  believe  myself  to  have  anticipated  the  best  reward  in 
their  creation." 

Henrika  looked  at  the  artist  with  interest,  and  said,  with  a 
softer  inflection:  "1  am  sorry  for  you,  master.  I  will  not 
deny  that  your  melody  pleases  me;  it  speaks  to  the  heart  in 
many  places,  but  how  they  will  spoil  it  in  your  churches! 
Your  heresy  destroys  art.  The  works  of  the  great  painters  are 
to  you  an  abomination,  and  music,  which  has  attained  such  ex- 
cellence in  the  Netherlands,  will  soon  meet  no  better  fate.'" 

"  I  dare  believe  the  contrary." 

"  You  are  wrong,  master,  you  are  wrong;  for  if  your  cause 
conquer — which  may  the  Virgin  forbid! — there  will  soon  be 
nothing  in  Holland  but  warehouses,  workshops,  and  barren 
meeting-houses,  from  which  at  length  all  singing  and  organ 
music  will  be  banished." 

"Far  from  it,  fraulein.  Athens  became  the  home  of  art 
only  after  securing  its  liberty  through  the  Persian  war. " 

"  Athens  and  Leyden!"  she  exclaimed,  with  scorn.  "  Owls 
there  are,  to  be  sure,  in  the  tower  of  Pancratius.  But  where 
shall  we  find  the  Minerva?"  While  Henrika  laughed,  rather 
than  spoke,  these  words,  a  shrill  female  voice  was  heard  call- 
ing her  name  for  the  third  time.  She  broke  off  in  the  midst 
of  her  sentence  to  say:  "  I  must  go.    I  will  keep  these  notes." 


5G  THE    BUR&OM ASTER'S   WIFE. 

"  You  will  lienor  me  by  accepting  them,  and  will  you  allow 
me  t<>  bring  others?" 

"  Henrika!"  Bounded  again  from  the  staircase,  and  she  an- 
swered, hastily:  "  Trust  whatever  you  please  to  Belotti;  but 
soon,  as  I  shall  not  be  here  much  longer." 

Wilhelm  looked  after  Henrika.  She  moved  as  rapidly  and 
with  the  same  sell-possession,  through  the  broad  hall  and  up 
the  stairway,  as  she  had  exhibited  in  her  sjjeech,  and  again  he 
was  vividly  reminded  of  his  friend  in  liome. 

The  eyes  of  the  old  Italian  also  followed  Henrika,  and  as  she 
disappeared  at  the  last  turning  of  the  stairs,  he  shrugged  his 
shoulders,  and,  turning  to  the  musician,  said,  with  an  expres- 
sion of  respectful  sympathy:  "  Something  is  wrong  with  the 
fraulein — always  in  a  passion,  always  like  a  loaded  pistol,  and 
then  that  terrible  headache.  It  was  not  so  before  we  came 
here." 

"  Is  the  fraulein  suffering?" 

"  My  lady  will  not  acknowledge  it/'  rej^lied  the  servant. 
"  But  what  we  see,  the  waiting-maid  and  I,  that  we  see — 
changing  from  red  to  white,  no  rest  in  the  night,  and  scarce- 
ly eating  so  much  as  a  chicken's  wing  and  a  leaf  of  salad." 

"  Does  the  physician  share  your  anxiety?" 

"  The  physician?  Doctor  Fleuriel  is  no  longer  here.  He 
moved  to  Ghent  when  the  Spaniards  took  possession,  and  since 
that  my  gracious  lady  allows  only  the  barber,  who  can  open  a 
vein.  The  physicians  here  are  all  devoted  to  the  Prince  of 
Orange,  and  are  heretics.  There  is  the  call  again!  I  will 
send  the  cloak  to  your  house;  and  if  you  ever  feel  like  amus- 
ing yourself  with  my  language,  knock  at  the  door.  These 
calls — these  unending  calls!  The  fraulein  suffers  from  them 
too." 

"When  Wilhelm  returned  to  the  street  he  found  it  raining 
only  slightly.  The  clouds  were  scattering,  and  from  one  }:>atch 
of  blue  sky  the  sun  shot  fiery  beams  into  Nobel  Street.  A 
rainbow  appeared  above  the  roof,  but  to-day  the  musician  had 
no  eyes  for  its  beauty.  The  hot  sunlight  on  the  wet  street 
gave  him  no  pleasure.  These  acute  rays  gave  no  hope  of  con- 
tinued fair  weather;  "  they  drew  rain. "  All  that  surrounded 
him  seemed  confusion.  A  fair  image,  preserved  in  the  most 
sacred  shrine  of  memory,  and  which  he  only  allowed  himself 
to  gaze  upon  at  rare  moments,  seemed  crowded  upon  by  an- 
other. His  real  diamond  was  in  danger  of  being  exchanged  for 
a  stone  of  whose  worth  he  knew  nothing.  Into  the  old  pure 
harmony  another  note  had  been  introduced,  similar,  and  yet 
of  feebler  melody.     How  could  he  now  recall  the  image  of  Isa- 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  57 

bella  without  thining  of  Henrika?  At  any  rate  he  had  not 
heard  the  fraulein  sing,  and  so  the  remembrance  of  Isabella's 
songs  was  undisturbed.  He  blamed  himself  because,  yield- 
ing to  an  emotion  of  vanity,  he  had  promised  to  send  other 
songs  to  this  proud  girl  of  Spanish  sympathies. 

He  had  met  Herr  Matenesse  van  Wibisma  rudely,  on  ac- 
count of  his  opinions,  but  sought  to  press  himself  upon  one 
who  derided  what  he  held  sacred,  because  she  was  a  woman, 
and  it  was  sweet  to  hear  his  creations  praised  by  fair  lips. 
"  Hercules  throws  down  the  club,  and  seats  himself  beside 
the  distaff  when  Omphale  beckons;  and  the  fair  Esther  and  the 
daughter  of  Herodias  "  came  involuntarily  to  his  thoughts. 
He  was  greatly  disturbed,  and  longed  for  his  quiet  chamber  in 
the  gable,  beside  the  dove-cote. 

"  Something  unpleasant  has  happened  to  him  in  Delft," 
thought  the  father. 

"  Why  does  he  not  relish  the  roast  flounders  to-day?"  asked 
his  mother,  as  he  sat  with  them  at  the  table. 

Each  was  conscious  that  something  weighed  upon  the  pride 
and  darling  of  their  house,  but  did  not  inquire  into  the 
"what"  and  the  "how";  for  they  new  the  moods  which 
sometimes  held  him  by  the  half  day. 

After  Wilhelm  had  fed  his  doves,  he  went  to  his  chamber, 
and  for  awhile  walked  restlessly  up  and  down.  There  he  seized 
his  violin,  and  made  a  medley  of  all  the  tunes  he  had  learned 
from  Isabella.  Seldom  did  his  music  alternate  so  rapidly  be- 
tween storm  and  pathos;  and  his  mother,  who  was  in  the 
kitchen,  hearing  it,  drove  the  twirling-stick  faster  and  faster, 
then  plunged  into  the  tough  dough,  and  muttered,  as  she 
rubbed  her  hands  upon  her  apron:  "  How  it  moans  and  shouts! 
May  it  relieve  him,  for  God's  sake;  but  catgut  is  dear,  and  it 
will  certainly  cost  him  a  couple  of  strings." 

Toward  evening  Wilhelm  was  compelled  to  take  part  in  the 
drill  of  a  shooting  company  to  which  he  belonged.  His  troop 
was  ordered  to  mount  guard  at  the  Hoogewoort  Gate.  As  he 
marched  with  them  through  Noble  Street,  he  heard  the  low 
clear  voice  of  a  woman  singing  in  the  Hoogstraten  house.  He 
listened,  and  shuddering  to  notice  how  much  Henrika's  voice 
— for  she  alone  could  have  been  the  singer — was  like  Isabelle's, 
he  commanded  the  drummer  to  beat  the  drum. 

On  the  next  morning,  a  servant  from  the  Hoogstraten  house 
brought  a  note  to  Wilhelm,  requesting  him  in  brief  words  to 
appear  in  the  Noble  Street,  exactly  at  two  o'clock,  neither 
earlier  nor  later.  He  did  not  wish  to  say  "  yes;"  he  could  not 
say  "  no,"  and  so  betook  himself  to  the  place  at  the  proper 


58  T11K    BURGOMASTER'S    "WIFE. 

time.  Henrika  awaited  him  in  tlic  .side  room,  near  the  en- 
trance.  She  was  more  serious  than  the  day  before,  while  deeper 
shadows  under  her  eyes  and  the  glowing  red  of  her  cheeks 
reminded  Wilhelm  of  I  te I otti's  anxiety  for  her  health. 

After  exchanging  civilities,  she  said,  abruptly:  "I  must 
speak  to  you.  sit  down.  Briefly,  the  manner  of  your  meet- 
ing me  yesterday  awakened  some  strange  thoughts.  I  must 
strongly  resemble  some  woman  whom  you  met  in  Italy.  It 
may  perhaps  be  one  very  nearly  related  to  me,  of  whom  I  have 
lost  trace.  Answer  me  honestly,  for  I  am  actuated  by  no  idle 
curiosity.     Where  did  you  meet  her?" 

"In  Lugano.  We  traveled  together  to  Milan,  and  after- 
ward I  found  her  in  Rome,  and  for  months  saw  her  daily." 

"  Then  you  must  have  known  her  well.  Do  you  find  the 
same  resemblance  upon  meeting  me  a  second  time?" 

"  It  is  most  striking." 

"  Then  I  must  have  a  double.     Is  this  land  her  home?" 

"  She  called  herself  an  Italian,  but  she  understood  Dutch, 
for  she  often  turned  over  my  books,  and  followed  the  conversa- 
tions I  held  with  young  artists  from  my  own  land.  I  believe 
she  is  a  German  of  noble  family." 

"  Probably  an  adventuress.     And  her  name?" 
*  "  Isabella — but  I  think  no  one  has  the  right  to  call  her  an 
adventuress." 

"  Was  she  married?" 

"  There  was  something  matronly  in  her  majestic  bearing, 
still  I  never  heard  her  speak  of  a  husband.  The  old  Italian 
woman,  her  duenna,  always  called  her  Donna  Isabella,  yet  she 
had  scarcely  any  more  knowledge  of  her  antecedents  than  I. " 

"  Was  that  good  or  evil?" 

"  Xothing  at  all,  noble'lady. " 

"  And  what  did  she  do  in  Rome?" 

"  She  practiced  the  art  of  song,  of  which  she  was  mistress. 
But  she  had  not  ceased  to  study,  and  made  great  progress  in 
Rome.  I  was  permitted  to  instruct  her  in  the  science  of  coun- 
terpoints." 

Did  she  appear  in  public  as  a  singer?" 

"  Yes,  and  no.  A  foreign  prelate  of  high  rank  was  her 
patron,  and  his  recommendation  opened  all  doors — even  the 
Palestrina.  Prominent  parts  in  the  church  music  were  in- 
trusted to  her,  and  she  did  not  refuse  to  sing  in  noble  houses, 
but  never  for  pecuniary  profit.  I  know  this,  for  she  would 
not  allow  any  one  else  to  play  her  accompaniments.  She  liked 
my  playing,  and  so  through  her  I  was  introduced  into  the 
houses  of  many  people  of  rank." 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE.  59 

"  Was  she  rich?" 

"  No,  fraulein.  She  had  handsome  dresses  and  brilliant 
jewels,  still  was  forced  to  economize.  From  time  to  time  she 
received  money  by  way  of  Florence,  but  the  gold  pieces  slipped 
easily  through  her  fingers;  for,  though  she  lived  unpretentious- 
ly, and  eat  scarcely  enough  to  sustain  a  bird,  while  her  delicate 
health  called  for  more  substantial  nourishment,  yet  she  was 
lavish  to  extravagance  when  she  saw  poor  artists  in  need;  and 
she  knew  most  of  them,  for  she  did  not  hesitate  to  sit  with 
them  at  their  wine  in  my  company. " 

"  With  painters  and  men  devoted  to  music?" 

"  Mere  artists  of  high  character.  At  times  she  surpassed 
them  all  in  her  overflowing  good  humor." 

"  At  times?" 

"  Yes,  only  at  times;  for  she  had  periods  of  despondency; 
but  as  rain  and  sunshine  on  an  A]n*il  day,  so  complete  despair 
alternated  with  light-hearted  mirth. " 

"  A  strange  being.  Do  you  know  what  became  of  her  at 
last?" 

"No,  fraulein;  one  evening  she  received  a  missive  from 
Milan,  which  must  have  brought  bad  news,  for  the  next  day 
she  vanished  without  a  word  of  farewell. " 

"  And  did  you  not  attempt  to  follow  her?"  . 

Wilhelm  blushed,  and  said,  constrainedly: 

"  I  had  no  right  to  do  so;  and  soon  after  she  went  away  I 
fell  sick — sick  almost  unto  death." 

"  Did  you  love  her?" 

"  Gracious  fraulein,  I  must  beg  you — " 

"  You  loved  her!     And  did  she  love  you  in  return?" 

"  We  met  only  yesterday,  Fraulein  Hoogstraten. " 

"Pardon  me!  But  if  you  regard  my  wishes,  we  have  not 
seen  each  other  for  the  last  time,  although  my  double  is  cei  - 
tainly  some  other  than  the  lady  I  had  in  mind. " 

"  I  hope  to  meet  you  again.  As  you  perceive,  that  calling 
never  ends.  You  have  wakened  an  interest  in  your  singular 
friend,  and  at  some  other  time  must  tell  me  more  of  her. 
Only  this  question :  Can  I,  as  a  modest  girl,  speak  of  her  with 
you  without  shame?" 

"  Certainly,  unless  you  object  to  a  lady  who  has  no  other 
protector  than  herself. " 

"And  you— do  you  not  forget  yourself?"  cried  Henrika, 
and  left  the  room.  The  musician  walked  thoughtfully  home- 
ward. Was  Isabella  a  relative  of  this  fraulein?  He  had 
acquainted  Henrika  with  most  of  the  external  circumstances 
familiar  to  himself,  and  had  already  perhaps  given  her  the  same 


60  THE    BTTRGOMASTEEt'S   WIFE. 

right  to  consider  Isabella  an  adventuress  which  had  been  as- 
Bumed  in  Roma  This  word  pained  him,  and  the  question  of 
Henri ka  if  he  loved  the  stranger  seemed  intrusive  and  unbe- 
coming. Yes,  he  had  been  ardently  attached  to  her;  it  had 
been  a  sore  trial  to  be  nothing  more  to  her  than  a  companion 
and  trusted  friend.  It  hail  cost  him  conilict  enough  to  hide 
his  sentiments;  he  would  certainly  have  declared  them,  but 
for  the  fear  of  rejection  and  of  ridicule.  The  old  heart 
wounds  bled  afresh  as  he  recalled  the  time  when  she  left  Rome 
so  suddenly,  without  a  word  of  leave-taking.  After  a  long 
and  severe  sickness,  he  had  returned  pale  and  with  clipped 
wings  to  his  home — and  many  weary  months  passed  before  he 
found  again  any  true  joy  in  his  work. 

At  first  her  memory  had  stirred  only  emotions  of  bitterness, 
but  now,  through  quiet  and  persevering  effort,  he  had  suc- 
ceeded, not  in  forgetting,  but  in  extracting  the  sting  from  the 
pure  and  choice  delight  of  remembrance.  To-day,  the  old 
struggle  began  anew,  but  he  was  not  disposed  to  surrender, 
and  he  did  not  forbid  himself  to  call  up  Isabella's  image,  in 
its  full  glory,  before  his  soul. 

Henrika  went  back  to  her  aunt,  deeply  moved.  Was  this 
adventuress  of  whom  Wilhelm  had  told  her,  the  only  being 
whom  she  loved  with  the  full  intensity  of  her  ardent  nature? 
Was  Isabella  her  lost  sister? 

There  was  much  against  the  supposition,  still  it  might  be 
possible.  She  tormented  herself  with  questions,  and  the  less 
quiet  allowed  her  by  her  aunt,  so  much  the  more  insupporta- 
ble grew  the  pain  in  her  head,  and  the  more  distinctly  she  felt 
that  the  fever,  against  whose  depressing  influence  she  had 
struggled  for  many  days,  would  overmaster  her. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

On  the  evening  of  the  third  day  following  Wilhelm's  inter- 
view with  Henrika,  he  chanced  to  pass  the  Hoogstraten  house. 
Before  reaching  there  he  had  seen  two  men,  preceded  by  a 
servant  with  a  lantern,  crossing  the  causeway  toward  the 
house.  Wilhelm  became  attentive  to  their  movements.  The 
servant  lifted  the  knocker.  As  light  from  the  lantern  fell 
upon  their  faces,  he  saw  that  they  were  strangers.  The  elder, 
a  man  of  small,  elegant  figure,  wearing  a  pointed  hat  and  short 
black  velvet  mantle,  was  the  Abbe  Picard,  a  gay  Parisian, 
who  had  come  to  Leyden  ten  years  before  to  teach  French  in 
aristocratic  families.  He  would  also  have  been  Wilhelm's  in- 
structor, but  that  his  father,  the   court  tax-collector,  would 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  61 

have  nothing  to  do  with  the  witty  abbe,  who  was  reported  to 
have  left  his  beloved  France  on  account  of  some  dishonorable 
transactions,  and  Herr  Cornelius  suspected  him  of  being  a 
Spanish  spy.  The  other  gentleman,  a  gray-headed  man  of 
medium  height  and  excessive  corjmlence,  and  whose  fur-bor- 
dered cloak  had  consumed  much  cloth,  was  Signor  Lamperi, 
an  agent  of  the  great  Italian  house  of  Bonvisi,  in  Antwerp,  who 
came  to  Leyden  every  year  with  the  storks  and  swallows  for  a 
few  weeks  of  business,  and  as  an  inexhaustible  retailer  of  jokes 
was  a  welcome  guest  in  every  drinking-shop. 

A  third  gentleman  joined  the  two  latter  before  they  entered 
the  house,  preceded  by  two  servants  carrying  lanterns.  A 
broad  mantle  enveloped  his  stately  figure,  and  he,  too,  stood  on 
the  threshold  of  old  age.  This  man  was  no  stranger  to  Wil- 
helm,  for  the  popish  Monseigneur  Gloria,  who  frequently  came 
to  Leyden  from  Haarlem,  was  a  patron  of  music,  and  had 
given  him  valuable  letters  of  recommendation  on  his  return 
from  Italy,  in  spite  of  his  heretical  opinions. 

Willie! m  passed  the  house  as  the  door  closed  upon  these 
three  gentlemen.  The  steward  Belotti  had  told  him  on  the 
previous  day  that  Henrika  seemed  very  unwell;  but  the  en- 
trance of  visitors  suggested  probable  improvement.  The  first 
story  of  the  Hoogstraten  house  was  brilliantly  lighted ;  in  the 
second,  a  faint,  steady  gleam  ajnpeared  at  one  window,  but  she 
for  whom  it  was  burning  sat  uneasily,  with  feverish  cheeks 
and  eyes,  beside  a  clumsy  table,  pressing  her  forehead  against 
the  marble.  Henrika  was  entirely  alone  in  this  wide,  lofty 
apartment.  Behind  curtains  of  heavily  gilded  brocade  stood, 
her  bed,  a  huge  structure  of  astonishing  breadth.  The  other 
articles  of  furniture  were  large,  and  of  faded  splendor.  Every 
chair  and  table  might  have  been  taken  as  relics  from  a  ban- 
queting-hall.  Nothing  necessary  was  wanting  in  the  room,  yet 
there  was  no  air  of  comfort,  and  nothing  to  suggest  that  it  was 
occupied  by  a  young  girl,  except  a  large  gilded  harp,  lying  on 
a  stiffly  cushioned  couch,  near  the  fire-place.  Henrika's  head 
was  burning,  while  her  feet  were  chilled  as  they  rested  on  the 
gayly  decorated  stucco  of  the  floor,  unprotected  by  a  carpet, 
although  her  lower  limbs  were  warmly  wrapped. 

Soon  after  the  three  men  had  entered  the  house  of  her  aunt, 
a  female  figure  ascended  the  stairs  leading  from  the  first  to  the 
second  story.  Henrika's  excited  senses  perceived  the  light  fall 
of  the  velvet  shoe  and  the  rustling  of  the  silken  train,  long 
before  the  person  approaching  reached  her  room,  and  with 
quickened  breath  she  .sat  erect.  A  wrinkled  hand  opened  the 
door  without  knocking,  and  the  old  Fraulein  van  Hoogstraten 


62  THE    BURGOMASTER  8   WIFE. 

stood  before  her  niece.  Thia  superannuated  dame  must  once 
have  been  handsome,  but  at  this  time  her  appearance  was 
peculiar  and  unpleasant.  Her  meager,  stooping  figure  was 
arrayed  in  a  Long-trained  dress  of  rose-colored  silk,  while  the 

small  head  was  lost  in  the  ruff,  a  lace  tower  of  monstrous  pro- 
portions. Over  her  sallow  neck,  exposed  by  the  cut  of  the 
waist,  hung  long  chains  of  pearls  and  precious  stones,  and  above 
the  artificial  red  blonde  Venetian  curls  waved  a  bunch  of 
feathers  set  oif  by  a  knot  of  light-blue  velvet.  Heavy  per- 
fumes loaded  the  atmosphere  about  her  person,  wdiich  perhaps 
were  oppressive  to  her  own  senses,  for  the  large  glittering  fan 
she  carried  was  kept  in  perpetual  motion,  and  became  violent- 
ly accelerated  when  Henrika,  in  answer  to  her  curt,  "  Quick, 
quick!"  said  decisively:  "  No,  aunt." 

The  old  lady  could  not  have  mistaken  the  refusal,  yet  she 
only  repeated,  "  Quick,  quick!"  in  more  emphatic  tones,  add- 
ing, as  an  important  reason:  "  The  monseigneur  has  come,  and 
wants  to  hear  you. " 

"  I  am  much  honored/'  replied  Henrika;  "  but  how  often 
do  I  need  to  repeat  that  I  shall  not  go?" 

"  May  one  ask  wdiy  not,  my  fairest?" 

"  Because  I  am  not  in  condition  for  your  society,  because  my 
head  aches  and  my  eyes  are  burning,  because  I  can  not  sing 
to-day,  and  because — because —  I  beg  you,  leave  me  in 
peace." 

The  old  lady  dropped  her  fan,  and  answered,  coolly: 

"  Were  you  singing  two  hours  ago,  or  not?" 

"Yes." 

"  Then  the  headache  is  not  very  bad,  and  Denise  can  dress 
you. " 

"  If  she  comes  I  shall  send  her  away.  When  I  tried  the 
harp  a  little  while  ago,  it  was  in  the  hope  that  it  might  drive 
away  the  pain.  It  did  relieve  me  for  a  few  moments,  but  now 
it  throbs  harder  than  ever. " 

"  Mere  subterfuge!" 

"  Believe  what  you  choose.  And  if  I  were  at  this  moment 
sound  as  a  squirrel  in  the  forest,  I  would  not  go  down  to  your 
gentlemen.  I  shall  stay  here.  Now  you  know.  You  have 
my  word  for  it,  and  I  am  a  Hoogstratcn,  as  well  as  you." 

Henrika  had  risen,  and  a  glowing  fire  flashed  in  the  eyes 
that  met  her  tormentor.  The  old  lady  set  her  fan  again  in 
motion,  and  her  protruding  chin  trembled.  She  said,  short- 
ly: "  Your  word  of  honor!     Then  you  will  not?" 

"  Certainly  not,"  replied  the  girl,  with  disrespectful  em- 
phasis. 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S    WIFE.  63 

"  Everyone  wants  his  own  way,"  said  the  old  woman,  turn- 
ing toward  the  door.  "  What  is  too  pronounced,  is  too  pro- 
nounced.    Your  father  will  not  thank  you  for  this." 

With  these  words  Fraulein  Hoogstraten  gathered  up  her 
long  train  and  approached  the  door.  There  she  paused  and 
glanced  once  more  inquiringly  toward  her  niece.  Henrika  cer- 
tainly remarked  the  hesitation  of  her  aunt,  but  turned  her 
back  deliberately  without  regarding  the  covert  threat. 

As  soon  as  the  door  closed,  she  sunk  back  into  her  chair, 
leaned  her  head  again  upon  the  marble,  and  remained  thus  a 
long  time.  Then  she  rose  as  suddenly  as  though  in  answer  to 
a  pressing  call,  flung  back  the  cover  of  her  trunk,  and  heaped 
the  various  articles  of  apparel  which  came  in  her  way  upon 
the  floor,  rising  again  only  when  she  had  found  a  few  sheets  of 
writing-paper,  brought  with  other  possessions  from  her  fa- 
ther's castle. 

As  she  rose  from  the  kneeling  posture,  a  dizziness  seized  her, 
but  she  resolutely  kept  her  footing  and  laid  her  paper,  with  a 
note-book  and  a  large  inkstand  which  had  stood  in  the  room 
for  several  days,  upon  the  table  and  sat  down  before  it.  Lean- 
ing back  in  her  chair,  she  began  to  write.  The  book  which 
served  as  a  desk,  lay  upon  her  knee,  and  the  writing-paper  on 
the  book.  With  the  creaking  and  hesitating  goose-quill  she 
made  large,  stiff  characters  on  the  white  paper.  Henrika  was 
not  unused  to  writing,  but  to-day  it  must  have  been  a  hard 
task,  for  her  forehead  was  dripping  with  perspiration,  her  lips 
drawn  in  by  pain,  and  so  often  as  she  finished  a  few  lines  her 
eyes  would  close,  or  she  took  long  draughts  from  the  water- 
pitcher  at  her  side. 

The  silence  reigning  in  this  great  room  was  frequently 
broken  by  sounds  that  rose  from  the  dining-room.  Clinking 
of  glasses,  shrill  tittering,  loud,  deep  laughter,  single  strains 
of  a  dissolute  love-song,  patriotic  cheers,  and  then  the  sharp 
crash  of  breaking  glass  came  confusedly  to  her  ears.  She 
could  not  avoid  hearing  these  sounds,  but  they  irritated  her, 
and  she  ground  her  white  teeth  together.  Still,  she  did  not 
lay  aside  her  pen. 

That  whicli  she  wrote  was  in  disjointed,  almost  incompre- 
hensible sentences,  and  without  apparent  connection. 

Sometimes  there  were  long  gaps,  then  she  repeated  a  single 
word  two  or  three  times.  The  letter  might  have  been  written 
by  an  insane  person,  yet  from  every  line  and  pen-stroke 
breathed  the  same  passionate  longing. 

"  Away  from  here!  Away  from  this  woman,  and  this 
house!" 


64  THE    BURGOMASTER'S   wife. 

The  letter  was  addressed  to  her  father,  whom  she  begged  to 
deliver  her  from  her  present  position,  to  come  and  take  her 
away,  or  to  send  for  her. 

Her  uncle,  Matenesse  van  Wibisma,  she  said,  must  have 
been  u  careless  messenger.  lie  had  himself  probably  enjoyed 
the  evening  receptions  which  were  loathsome  to  her.  She  tie- 
dared  her  determination  to  go  out  into  the  world,  searching 
for  her  sister,  should  her  father  insist  on  her  remaining  here. 
Then  followed  a  description  of  her  aunt  and  her  aunt's  manner 
of  life.  The  picture  of  her  days  and  nights  in  this  house 
was  a  confused  mixture  of  great  and  small  trials,  and  set  off 
in  glaring  colors  the  humiliations  to  which  she  had  been  ex- 
posed. 

There  had  often  been  carousing  and  wanton  frivolity.  Ilcn- 
rika  had  been  forced  into  the  society  of  her  aunt's  guests — 
elderly  French  and  Italian  men  of  loose  morals. 

While  describing  these  assemblies,  the  blood  mounted  more 
hotly  into  her  already  flushed  cheeks,  and  the  pen-strokes  be- 
came longer  and  less  intelligible.  The  stories  of  the  abbe, 
which  amused  her  aunt,  and  at  which  the  Italian  screamed, 
and  the  monseigneur  smilingly  condemned  with  a  light  shake 
of  the  head,  were  so  shamefully  bold  that  she  would  have  felt 
herself  defiled  in  repeating  them. 

Was  she  a  modest  girl  or  not? 

Bather  would  she  die  of  hunger  and  thirst  than  be  again  in 
such  company.  When  the  dining-room  was  empty,  other  ex- 
orbitant demands  were  made  upon  Henrika,  for  then  the  aunt, 
who  could  not  bear  to  be  left  alone,  was  sick  and  wretched, 
and  she  was  compelled  to  nurse  her.  That  she  gladly  min- 
istered to  the  suffering,  she  wrote,  was  proved  by  her  efforts 
for  the  children  sick  of  small-pox  in  the  village;  but  when  her 
aunt  could  not  sleep,  she  must  keep  watch  beside  her,  hold 
her  hand,  and  listen  to  her  moaning,  whining,  and  praying, 
or  cursing  of  herself  and  the  treacherous  world,  sometimes  un- 
til the  morning  dawned.  She  had  come  into  this  house  strong 
and  vigorous,  yet  so  much  that  was  loathsome,  irritating,  and 
oppressive  had  been  heaped  upon  her  as  to  affect  her  health. 

The  girl  wrote  on  until  midnight,  the  characters  gradually 
becoming  more  indistinct,  the  lines  more  crooked,  and  with  the 
last  words,  "  Oh,  my  poor  head!  You  see  I  am  losing  my 
senses.  Please,  my  dear,  stern  father,  take  me  horn".  I  ha1  e 
also  perhaps  heard  something  of  Anna,"  her  eyes  grew  dim, 
the  pen  dropped  from  her  hand,  and  she  fell  back  senseless  into 
her  chair. 

And  there  she  lay,  until  the  last  laugh  and  rattle  of  glasses 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S    WIFE.  65 

had  died  away  in  the  room  beneath,  and  the  guests  of  her  aunt 
had  left  the  house.  Denise,  the  maid,  noticing  the  light  in 
the  girl's  room,  came  in,  and  after  a  vain  attempt  to  rouse 
her,  called  her  mistress. 

Following  Denise  up  the  stairs,  Fraulein  van  Hoogstraten 
muttered,  "  How  tedious!  She  has  dropped  asleep,  and  noth- 
ing more.  Down-stairs  with  us  she  would  have  been  wakeful 
and  merry  enough.  Sluggish  blood.  '  People  of  butter/ 
King  Philip  used  to  say.  That  mad  Lamperi  was  ill-bred  this 
evening,  and  the  abbe  said  things — things — " 

Wine  had  sent  its  sparkle  into  the  eyes  of  the  old  woman, 
and  her  fan  waved  rapidly  back  and  forth,  to  cool  her  glowing 
cheeks.  When  she  reached  Henrika,  she  called  to  her,  shook 
and  sprinkled  her  from  the  smelling-bottle  that  hung  at  her 
belt.  In  sjiite  of  her  efforts,  her  niece  only  murmured  unin- 
telligible words,  and  she  ordered  Denise  to  bring  her  medicine- 
chest.  During  the  absence  of  the  maid,  Fraulein  van  Hoog- 
straten noticed  Henrika's  letter,  and  read  page  after  page, 
with  growing  wrath;  but  at  length  threw  it  on  the  floor,  and 
shook  her  niece  to  rouse  her  once  more  in  vain. 

Meanwhile  Belotti,  apprised  of  Henrika's  condition,  and  be- 
cause much  devoted  to  this  young  lady,  took  upon  himself  the 
responsibility  of  sending  for  a  physician,  and  in  place  of  the 
exiled  priest  of  the  house,  called  the  chaplain  Damianus. 
Then  he  betook  himself  to  the  sick-chamber. 

Before  he  crossed  the  threshold,  the  old  dame  called  out: 

"  What  do  you  say  now,  Belotti?  Sickness  in  the  house — 
that  may  be  contagious.     Perhaps  even  the  plague — " 

"  It  seems  to  be  only  a  fever,"  returned  the  Italian,  quietly. 
"  Come,  Denise.  Together  we  can  carry  the  young  lady  to 
her  bed.     The  physician  will  come  soon." 

"  The  physician!"  exclaimed  the  old  dame,  striking  upon 
the  marble  with  her  fan.       '  Who  permitted  you,  Belotti — ' ' 

"  We  are  Christians,"  broke  in  the  servant,  and  not  with- 
out dignity. 

"  Very  well,"  cried  the  old  lady,  "do  what  you  will,  call 
whom  you  please;  but  Henrika  can  not  stay  here.  Contagion 
in  the  house— the  plague — a  black  tablet — " 

"  Excellenza  disturbs  herself  quite  unnecessarily.  Let  us 
first  hear  the  ojrinion  of  the  physician." 

"  I  will  not  hear  it.  I  do  not  want  plague  or  small-pox. 
Go  down  directly,  Belotti,  and  prepare  the  sedan-chair.  The 
old  cavalier  chamber  in  the  wing  is  empty." 

But,  excellenza,  it  is  musty,  and  so  damp  that  the  north 
wall  is  covered  with  mo'-'k" 
a 


66  THF    I'l  rgomastbb's  wife. 

'  Then  lei  it  be  aired  and  cleaned.  What  means  this  delay? 
You  are  bo  obey.     Do  you  understand  me,  sir?" 

"  The  cavalier  chamber  is  not  a  fit  place  for  the  sick  niece 
of  my  gracious  lady/'  answered  Belotti,  respectfully,  but 
firmly. 

'Is  not?  And  what  do  you  know  about  it?"  asked  the 
lady.  contemptuously.  '  Go  down,  Denise,  and  send  uj)  the 
sedan-chair.     Have  you  anything  more  to  say,  Belotti?" 

"  Fes,  padrona,"  answered  the  Italian,  with  a  trembling 
voice.     "  I  beg  excellenza  to  discharge  me." 

"  Discharge  you  from  service?" 

"  A\'ilh  excellenza Js  permission — yes,  from  service." 

The  old  woman  quailed  a  little,  clasped  her  fan  firmly  with 
both  hands,  and  said: 

"  You  are  squeamish,  Belotti. " 

1  No,  gracious  lady;  but  I  am  old,  and  fear  I  may  have 
the  misfortune  to  fall  sick  in  this  house  some  day." 

The  fraulien  shrugged  her  shoulders,  and  turning  to  the 
maid,  said:  "The  sedan-chair,  Denise.  You  are  discharged, 
Belotti." 


CHAPTER  X. 

A  glorious  morning  followed  the  night  in  which  sickness 
and  suffering  had  found  its  way  into  the  Hoogstraten  man- 
sion. The  stork,  now  better  satisfied  with  Holland,  flew  with 
a  loud  joyous  clacking  over  the  sunny  meadows.  It  was  one 
of  those  rare  days  in  April  that  seem  sent  to  prove  that  the 
widely  sung  praises  of  May,  her  successor,  are  too  profuse, 
while  her  own  charms  are  not  sufficiently  appreciated.  April 
can  boast  of  giving  birth  to  the  spring,  while  her  blooming 
heir  strengthens  its  vigor  and  unfolds  its  beauty. 

It  was  Sunday,  and  whoever,  on  such  a  day,  while  the  bells 
are  ringing,  strolls  through  the  sunny  paths  cf  the  flowery 
meadows,  over  which  countless  cattle,  woolly  sheep,  and  idle 
horses  are  grazing,  and  meets  the  peasants  in  their  neat  Sun- 
day clothes  with  their  wives,  whose  brightly  polished  bands  of 
gold  shine  under  their  snow-white  lace  caps,  solemn  citizens 
in  gala  dress,  and  happy  children  released  from  school,  might 
well  fancy  that  nature  also  puts  on  a  holiday  suit  of  clear 
green  and  delicate  blue,  with  flowers  of  fairer  hue  than  she 
wears  on  the  work-days.  A  festive  spirit  seemed  to  animate 
the  citizens,  who,  either  on  foot  or  in  great  open  wagons,  or 
on  the  Rhine  in  gayly  painted  boats,  were  making  excursions, 
to  enjoy  with  wives  and  children  the  country  bread,  yellow 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  67 

butter,  and  fresh  cheese,  milk  and  cooling  beer  during  the 
leisure  hours  of  the  day  of  rest. 

The  musician  Wilhelm  had  long  ago  finished  his  organ  play- 
ing in  the  church;  but  instead  of  wandering  with  his  comrades 
into  the  country,  he  devoted  the  hours  of  rest  to  longer  jour- 
neys, such  as  render  shoes  quite  unnecessary. 

These  led  him  on  swift-winged  flights  beyond  the  level  plains 
of  his  native  land  over  the  hills  and  valleys  of  Germany, 
and  beyond  the  Alpine  peaks  into  Italy.  A  place  propitious 
for  such  forgetf ulness  of  present  surroundings  and  flight  into 
the  past  stood  ready.  During  his  absence  in  Italy,  his  brothers 
Ulrich  and  Johannes,  who  were  also  musicians  but  who  recog- 
nized without  envy  the  superior  gifts  of  Wilhelm,  and  were 
ready  to  assist  him,  had  arranged  and  furnished  for  him  a  room 
in  the  narrow  side  of  the  steep  roof,  from  which  a  broad  door 
opened  upon  a  small  balcony.  On  this  stood  a  wooden  bench, 
where  Wilhelm  liked  to  sit  and  watch  the  flight  of  his  pigeons, 
or  gaze  dreamily  into  the  distance,  or  when  disposed  to  work, 
listen  to  the  tones  which  arranged  themselves  for  his  inward 
ear.  A  charming  prospect  offered  itself  from  this  highest 
point  of  the  house  which  had  an  open  situation;  the  view  was 
almost  as  extensive  as  that  from  the  top  of  the  citadel — the 
old  Roman  tower  in  the  heart  of  Leyden. 

Like  a  spider  in  its  web,  Wilhelm/ s  native  city  lay  in  the 
midst  of  the  countless  canals  and  arms  of  the  sea  that  intersect 
the  plain.  The  red  brick  walls,  washed  by  a  dark  strip  of 
water,  encircled  the  charming  place  as  a  band  surrounds  the 
head  of  a  maiden.  And  in  a  wider  and  more  broken  circle 
the  redoubts  and  bulwarks  resembled  a  garland  of  loosely 
woven  thorns.  Between  the  defensive  works  and  the  city  walls 
browsed  the  cattle  belonging  to  the  citizens,  and  on  the  outer 
side  lay  villages  and  hamlets. 

Looking  toward  the  north,  on  this  clear  April  day,  one  could 
distinguish  the  Haarlem  Sea;  on  the  west,  beyond  the  leafy 
domes  of  the  Haager  forest,  lay  the  dunes,  which  nature  has 
heaped  up  to  jorotect  the  land  from  the  rushing  waves.  Firm 
and  impregnable  seemed  this  long  chain  of  hillocks,  opposing 
the  inroads  of  the  sea  as  Alfen,  Leyderdorp,  and  Valkenburg, 
the  three  fortresses  upon  the  Rhine,  confront  hostile  armies. 

The  Rhine!  Wilhelm  looked  down  at  the  shallow,  indolent 
stream,  and  likened  it  to  a  deposed  king,  who,  having  lost 
power  and  greatness,  divides  the  possessions  remaining  to  him 
among  the  little  circle  of  his  adherents. 

The  musician  knew  well  the  lordly  undivided  German 
Rhine,  and  often  in  fancy  followed  its  course  southward,  but 


CS  THE    BTJRG0MA8TER*fl   UIFE. 

oftencr  still  a  dream  carried  him  in  one  mighty  leap  to  the 
Lake  of  Lugano,  that  pearl  of  the  Western  Alps;  and  when  he 
thought  of  that  ami  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  emerald  green 
ami  azure  blue  and  golden  light  shone  before  his  inner  eye,  and 
in  smh  boms  all  his  musings  were  transformed  into  harmony 
and  music  And  then  bis  journey  from  Lugano  to  Milan! 
Eude  and  overcrowded  bad  been  the  vehicle  which  bore  him  to 
the  city  of  Leonardo,  but  in  it  he  had  met  Isabella. 

And  Rome!  Rome!  that  noble,  never-to-be-forgotten  city, 
where  one  is  lifted  « mt  of  himself  to  gather  vigor  and  spiritual 
power — but  which  makes  us  wretched  with  longing  when  it 
lies  behind  us. 

By  the  Tiber,  Wilhelm  had  first  learned  what  true  art,  his 
own  lordly  art,  was.  A  new  world  had  here  opened  before 
him,  in  the  society  of  Isabella;  but  a  sharp  frost  had  passed 
over  the  blossoms  that  had  unfolded  in  Rome;  he  knew  they 
were  blasted,  and  could  never  come  to  fruit.  Yet  to-day  he 
recalled  her  image  in  its  fresh  beauty,  and,  instead  of  a  vision 
of  lost  love,  he  saw  his  gracious  friend,  and  dreamed  of  a 
heaven  blue  as  turquois  or  cyanite;  of  slender  columns  and 
bubbling  fountains,  of  olive  groves  and  marble  statues,  of 
cool  church  aisles  and  glancing  villas,  of  ardent  eyes  and 
sparkling  wine,  of  enchanting  choirs  and  Isabella's  song. 

The  doves  which  cooed  and  clucked  in  the  cote  beside  him, 
flying  in  and  out,  were  now  quite  free  to  go  and  come  as  they 
pleased,  for  their  guardian  neither  saw  nor  heard  them. 

The  fencing-master,  Allertssohn,  came  up  the  ladder  to  this 
wratch-tower,  but  Wilhelm  first  noticed  him  when  he  stood  at 
his  side  on  the  balcony,  and  greeted  him  with  his  deep  voice. 
"  Where  have  we  been,  Herr  Wilhelm?  In  this  cloth-weaving 
Leyden.  Ko.  More  probably  with  the  goddess  of  music  on 
Olympus,  or  wherever  she  holds  her  court." 

"  Rightly  guessed,"  replied  Wilhelm,  tossing  back  the  hair 
from  his  brow.  "  I  have  been  making  her  a  visit,  and  she 
sends  you  her  greeting." 

"  Give  her  mine  in  return/'  said  the  visitor;  "  but  she  is 
not  one  of  my  familiar  acquaintances.  Drinking  suits  my 
throat  better  than  song.     Will  you  allow  me?" 

The  fencing-master  took  the  beer-mug  whish  the  mother  of 
Wilhelm  freshly  filled  every  day,  and  placed  in  the  chamber  of 
her  darling,  and  took  a  long  draught.  Then  wiping  his  beard, 
he  said: 

"That  lias  done  me  good,  and  I  needed  it.  The  people 
wanted  to  go  out  for  pleasure,  and  omit  the  drill;  but  we 
forced  them  to  it,  young  Van  Warmond,  Duivenvoorde  and  I. 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  69 

Who  knows  how  soon  we  may  have  to  show  what  we  are  able 
to  do!  By  Roland,  my  former  self!  such  imprudence  is  like  a 
club,  against  which  Florentine  rapiers  can  do  nothing,  with 
their  fine  tierce  and  carte.  My  wheat  has  been  beaten  down 
by  hail." 

"  Then  let  it  be,  and  see  if  the  barley  and  clover  stand  any 
better,"  answered  Wilhelm,  cheerfully;  throwing  some  grains 
of  wheat  and  oats  toward  a  large  pigeon  that  had  alighted  on 
the  parapet  of  his  watch-tower. 

"  It  eats,  and  yet  what  is  it  good  for?"  cried  Allertssohn, 
looking  at  the  dove.  "  Herr  van  Warmond,  a  young  fellow 
after  God's  own  heart,  has  just  brought  me  two  falcons ;  would 
you  like  to  see  how  I  tame  them?" 

"  No,  captain;  between  my  music  and  my  doves  I  have 
enough  to  do." 

"  The  long-necked  one  yonder  is  a  ludicrous  fellow." 

"And  where  do  you  think  he  came  from?  There  he  goes 
now,  with  the  others.  Watch  him  a  little,  and  then  give  me 
your  opinion. " 

"Ask  King  Solomon;  he  was  wonclrously  familiar  with 
birds." 

"  Keep  your  eye  on  him,  you  will  soon  see." 

"  The  fellow  has  a  stiff  neck,  and  carries  his  head  pretty 
high." 

"  And  his  beak?" 

"  Curved,  almost  like  a  hawk's!  Zounds!  what  is  the 
creature  trying  to  do  with  his  sprawling  toes?  Look  out, 
bandit!  He'll  peck  your  little  cloves  to  death.  True  as  I 
live,  the  saucy  thing  must  be  a  Spanish  rascal!" 

"  You  have  guessed  right.  It  is  a  Spanish  dove,  which  has 
come  to  me;  but  I  can  not  endure  it,  and  drive  it  away,  for  I 
keep  only  a  few  pair  of  the  same  sort,  and  try  to  improve 
them.  Whoever  tries  to  raise  several  varieties  in  the  same 
cote  will  accomplish  nothing. " 

"  That  is  worth  thinking  of.  But  I  think  you  have  not 
chosen  the  handsomest  species. " 

"  No,  sir,  what  you  see  here  is  a  mixture  of  carrier  and 
tumbler;  the  breed  of  Antwerp  carriers — bluish,  reddish,  mot- 
tled. I  do  not  care  for  the  colors,  but  they  must  have  large 
wings,  with  broad  quills  on  the  flag  feathers;  above  all,  mus- 
cular strength.  This  one  here — wait,  I  will  catch  him — is  one 
of  my  best  flyers.     Just  try  to  lift  his  pinion. " 

"  God  knows  the  little  fellow  has  marrow  in  his  bones! 
How  the  little  wing  pinches!  the  falcons  are  not  much 
Stronger." 


70  the  burgomaster's  wife. 


(I 


It's  ,-i  leader,  too,  who  can  find  the  way  alone." 

"  Why  do  you  keep  no  white  tumblers?  I  should  think  the 
eye  might  follow  their  ilight  longest/' 

"  Because  it,  is  with  doves  exaetly  as  with  men.  He  who  is 
conspicuous  becomes  a  mark  for  envy  and  hostility,  and  birds 
of  | MTV  pounce  first  upon  the  white  tumblers.  I  tell  you, 
master,  one  with  eyes  in  his  head  can  learn  much  in  a  dove- 
cote about  the  descendants  of  Adam  and  Eve." 

"  There  are  quarreling  and  kissing  up  there  just  as  in  Ley- 
den." 

"  Exactly  the  same,  captain.  If  I  mate  an  old  dove  with 
one  much  younger  it  seldom  turns  out  well.  "When  the  male 
is  in  love,  he  knows  how  to  make  as  many  compliments  to  his 
sweetheart  as  the  finest  gallant  to  his  lady-love.  And  do  you 
know  what  the  cai-esses  mean?  The  wooer  brings  food  to  his 
darling,  that  means  he  tries  to  win  her  with  gifts.  Then 
comes  the  wedding,  and  they  build  a  nest.  If  there  be  young 
birds,  they  feed  them  together  in  harmony.  The  aristocratic 
doves  brood  poorly,  and  we  put  their  eggs  under  the  commoner 
varieties." 

"  Those  are  the  noble  ladies  who  have  nurses  for  their 
babies." 

"  Un mated  doves  often  make  trouble  among  the  mated." 

"  Accept  the  lesson,  young  man,  and  beware  of  becoming 
an  old  bachelor.  I  have  nothing  against  the  girl,  though,  who 
remains  unmarried,  for  I  have  found  many  lovely  good  souls 
among  them." 

"  80  have  I,  but  some  poor  specimens  also,  just  as  it  is  here 
in  the  dove-cote.  In  general,  my  pets  make  happy  marriages; 
but  if  it  does  come  to  sejwation — " 

"  Which  of  them  is  to  blame?" 

"  In  nine  cases  out  of  ten  it  is  the  little  wife." 

"  By  Roland,  my  former  self!  it  is  exactly  so  among  men," 
cried  the  fencing-master,  clapping  his  hands. 

"  What  is  this  about  your  Roland,  Herr  Allerts?  You 
promised  me  lately — but  who  is  coming  up  the  ladder?" 

"  I  hear  your  mother. " 

"  She  brings  a  visitor.  I  know  that  voice,  and  yet — wait,  it 
is  the  steward  of  old  Fraulein  von  Hoogstraten. " 

"  Of  Nobel  Street?  Let  me  go,  Wilhelm,  for  this  Glipper 
set—  " 

"  Wait  a  little;  there  is  room  for  only  one  on  the  ladder," 
na id  the  musician,  holding  out  his  hand  to  help  Relotti  up  the 
last  round  into  his  room. 

"  Spaniards  and  Sjjanish  sympathizers/ '  muttered  the  fenc- 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   "WIFE.  71 

ing-master  as  he  went  out,  crying,  as  he  descended  the  ladder: 
"I  will  stay  below  until  the  air  is  pure  again/' 

The  handsome  and  usually  smooth  face  was  covered  to-day 
with  a  stubbly  beard,  and  the  old  man  looked  troubled  and 
worn,  as  he  began  to  tell  Wilhelm  what  had  occurred  in  the 
house  of  his  mistress  since  the  previous  evening. 

"  Hot-blooded  people,"  said  the  Italian,  "  may  grow  weaker 
with  advancing  years,  but  not  more  serene.  I  could  not  stand 
by  and  see  the  poor  angel,  for  she  is  not  far  from  the'  throne 
of  the  Virgin,  treated  like  a  sick  dog  who  is  driven  out  into 
the  court-yard;  so  I  took  my  leave." 

"  That  does  you  honor,  but  just  now  is  a  little  out  of  place. 
And  have  they  really  carried  the  young  lady  into  the  damp 
room?" 

"  No,  sir.  Father  Damianus  came  and  made  the  old  excel- 
lenza  understand  what  the  Holy  Virgin  expects  from  a  Chris- 
tian, and  when  the  padrona,  in  spite  of  this,  tried  to  carry  out 
her  will,  the  holy  man  spoke  in  such  sharp  and  severe  lan- 
guage that  she  yielded.  Now  the  signorina  lies  in  her  bed, 
with  glowing  cheeks  and  wandering  words." 

"  And  who  nurses  her?" 

"  It  is  on  account  of  the  physician  that  I  came  to  you,  sir, 
for  Doctor  de  Bont,  who  came  without  delay,  when  I  called 
him,  was  treated  so  badly  by  the  excellenza  that  he  turned  his 
back  upon  her  shortly,  and  told  me  at  the  house  door  he 
should  not  come  again. " 

Wilhelm  shook  his  head,  but  the  Italian  went  on: 

"  There  are  other  physicians  in  Leyden,  but  Father  Dami- 
anus says  De  Bont,  or  Bontius,  as  they  call  him,  is  the  most 
skillful  and  scientific  of  all,  and  since  the  old  excellenza  her- 
self had  an  attack  about  noon,  and  certainly  can  not  be  so  soon 
out  of  her  bed,  the  way  is  free,  and  Father  Damianus  said  he 
would  go  for  Doctor  Bontius,  if  necessary.  But  since  you  are 
a  native  of  the  city,  and  not  a  stranger  to  the  signorina,  I 
would  spare  the  father  the  refusal  he  might  receive  from  an 
enemy  of  our  holy  Church.  The  poor  man  has  enough  to  bear 
from  scoffers  and  good-for-nothiug  boys  when  he  goes  through 
the  streets  with  the  consecrated  host. " 

"  But,  you  know,  any  interference  with  the  practice  of  his 
calling  is  strictly  forbidden." 

"  Yet  he  can  not  show  himself  on  the  street  without  being 
derided.  Neither  of  us  can  change  the  world,  my  dear  sir. 
So  long  as  the  Church  held  the  power  in  her  hand,  she  burned 
and  quartered  you,  and  now  that  you  have  it,  our  priests  are 
scorned  and  persecuted. " 


72  the  burgomaster's  wife. 

"  Against  law  and  order  of  the  magistrates." 

"You  can  not  restrain  the  people,  and  Father  Damianus  is 
a  land)  who  bears  all  patiently — just  as  good  a  Christian  as 
many  saints  to  whom  candles  are  consecrated.  Do  you  know 
the  doctor?" 

"A  little,  by  sight." 

"  Oh,  then,  go  to  him,  sir,  for  the  sake  of  the  young  lady," 
cried  the  old  man  with  much  feeling.  "  It  is  in  your  power 
to  rescue  a  human  life,  a  fair  young  human  life;"  and  tears 
glittered  in  his  eyes. 

As  Wilhelm  laid  his  hand  upon  his  arm,  and  said  kindly: 
"  I  will  -try,"  the  fencing-master  called  at  the  door:  "  Your 
conference  continues  too  long  for  me.  I  will  come  another 
time." 

"  No,  master,  come  up  a  moment.  This  man  here  has  come 
for  the  sake  of  a  poor,  sick  girl,  wdio  is  now  lyin^  helpless  and 
alone,  for  her  aunt,  the  old  Fraulein  van  Hoogstraten,  has 
driven  Doctor  de  Bont  from  her  bedside  because  he  is  a  Cal- 
vinist." 

"  From  the  bedside  of  a  sick  girl?" 

"  It  was  contemptible  enough,  but  now  the  old  lady  herself 
has  been  taken  down." 

"Bravo!"  cried    the  fencing-master,  clapping  his  hands. 

"  If  the (God  save  us!)  is  not  afraid  of  the  woman,  and 

wants  to  fetch  her,  I'll  pay  the  post-horses.  But  the  girl — 
the  sick  girl?" 

"  This  man  here  is  begging  me  to  persuade  De  Bout  to  visit 
her  again.     Are  you  on  friendly  terms  with  him?" 

"  I  was,  Wilhelm — I  was;  but — last  Friday  we  had  a  sharp 
contest  about  the  new  steel  cap;  and  now  the  learned  demi- 
god will  expect  aj)ologies  from  me;  but — to  sound  retreat — 
that  is  not  in  my  line." 

"  Oh,  dear  sir,"  cried  Belotti,  with  touching  earnestness. 
"  The  poor  child  lies  helpless  in  a  high  fever.  If  Heaven  has 
blessed  you  with  children — " 

"  Hush,  old  man,"  returned  the  fencing-master,  stroking 
the  gray  hair  of  Belotti,  in  a  friendly  manner.  "  My  children 
are  surely  nothing  to  you,  but  we  will  do  what  we  can  for  the 
sick  girl.  Farewell,  till  wre  meet  again,  sirs.  By  Roland,  my 
former  self!  what  may  one  not  live  through?  Hemp  is  still 
cheap  in  Holland,  and  yet  such  a  monster  lives  in  the  very 
midst  of  us  to  be  as  old  as  a  raven!" 

With  these  words  he  descended  the  ladder,  and  took  his  way 
along  the  street,  thinking  over  what  he  could  say  to  Dr.  Bon- 
tius,  with  a  look  on  his  face  as  if  he  had  wormwood  in  his 


THE    BUJtGOai ASTER'S   WIFE.  73 

mouth;  yet  his  eyes  and  bearded  lips  smiled.  His  learned 
friend  made  the  apology  easy,  and  when  Belotti  reached  home 
he  found  the  doctor  at  the  bedside  of  the  sick  girl. 


CHAPTER   XL 

Dame  Elizabeth  van"  Nordwyk  and  the  town  secretary's 
wife,  Dame  van  Hout,  had  each  separately  pressed  the  burgo- 
master's wife  to  go  with  her  into  the  country  and  enjoy  the 
fine  spring  Sunday ;  still,  and  in  spite  of  Barbara's  persuasion, 
the  young  wife  could  not  be  induced  to  accept  their  invitations. 

Eight  days  had  passed  since  her  husband's  dej^arture — eight 
days  that  had  dragged  their  weary  length  from  morning  till 
night  as  dully  as  the  torpid  stream  in  one  of  the  ditches  that 
intersect  the  Dutch  fields  creeps  down  to  join  the  river.  Sleep 
loves  to  visit  the  pillow  of  youth,  and  it  had  returned  even  to 
hers;  but  with  the  dawn  her  discontent  came  back,  her  unrest, 
and  the  unsatisfied  craving  to  which  sleep  had  brought  a  mer- 
ciful truce.  She  felt  that  this  was  not  as  it  should  be,  and 
that  her  father  would  have  blamed  her  if  he  could  have  seen 
her  thus. 

There  are  some  women  who  are  ashamed  to  wear  rosy  cheeks 
and  to  own  to  a  frank  enjoyment  of  existence — who  cherish  a 
dismal  satisfaction  in  the  sense  of  grief  and  suffering.  But 
Maria  was  assuredly  not  one  of  these.  She  would  thankfully 
have  been  happy,'  and  she  left  no  means  untried  to  recover  her 
lost  cheerfulness.  With  the  honest  purpose  of  doing  her  duty 
she  went  back  to  Lisa's  bedside,  but  the  child  was  fast  recov- 
ering, and  always  called  for  Barbara,  Adrian,  or  Trautchen 
as  soon  as  she  found  herself  alone  with  Maria.  Then  she  tried 
to  read,  but  the  few  books  she  had  brought  from  Delft  she 
knew  too  well,  and  her  thoughts  would  wander  into  their  own 
channel  before  she  could  fix  them  on  the  old  familiar  page. 
Wilhelm  had  brought  the  new  motet,  and  she  tried  to  sing  it 
through;  but  music  requires  the  whole  heart  and  mind  of  those 
who  would  benefit  by  its  gifts,  and  refused  to  afford  her  either 
consolation  or  pleasure  while  her  spirit  was  absent,  busied  with 
other  things. 

When  she  helped  Adrian  with  his  tasks  her  patience  failed 
much  sooner  than  it  had  been  wont.  On  the  first  market-day 
she  sallied  out  with  Trautchen,  to  obey  her  husband's  com- 
mands and  to  make  purchases;  and  while  she  moved  among 
the  crowd  from  place  to  place,  where  the  different  wares  and 
provisions  were  put  out  for  sale — here  meat,  there  fish,  here 
again  vegetables — while  on  every  side  the  venders  called  and 


74  THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIPE. 

clamored  to  her:  "  Here,  dame,  this  way;"  and  "  Here,  dame, 
I  have  the  thing  you  want!" — she  forgot  for  the  time  the 
trouble  that  weighed  upon  her.  With  revived  energies  she  set 
to  work  to  taste  meal  and  pease  and  smell  at  dried  fish;  and 
felt  it  a  point  of  honor  to  select  them  well;  Barbara  should  see 
she  knew  how  to  market.  The  crowd  was  dense  in  every  part, 
for  the  town  authorities  had  issued  a  proclamation  that,  in 
view  of  the  threatening  danger,  every  household  should  lay  in 
an  abundant  stock  of  provisions  on  every  market-day;  but  even 
those  who  were  buying  up  food  stuffs  with  a  view  to  retailing 
them  later,  made  way  for  the  burgomaster's  pretty  young  wife, 
and  this  flattered  and  pleased  her. 

She  returned  home  with  a  bright  face,  happy  to  have  done 
her  best,  and  went  straight  to  Barbara  in  the  kitchen.  Peter's 
kind-hearted  sister  had  of  course  observed  how  heavy  the  poor 
young  wife's  heart  was,  and  she  had  been  glad  to  see  her  set 
out  on  her  marketing  expedition.  Choosing  and  chaffering 
would  divert  her  thoughts  from  their  melancholy  channel. 
But  the  prudent  housewife  (who  credited  Maria  with  every 
virtue  but  the  capacity  for  shrewd  and  careful  housewifery) 
took  the  precaution  of  warning  Trautchen  not  to  lay  in  too 
great  a  stock  of  provisions.  When  the  demand  on  a  market  is 
double  and  treble  the  supply,  prices  rapidly  rise,  and  thus  it 
came  to  pass  that,  when  Maria  told  the  widow  how  much  she 
had  paid  for  this  or  that  necessary  article,  Barbara  could  do 
nothing  but  exclaim:  "But,  child,  that  is  dreadfully  dear!" 
or:  "  Such  prices  will  make  beggars  of  us!" 

These  exclamations — most  of  them,  under  the  circumstances, 
wholly  unreasonable— annoyed  and  hurt  Maria;  still  peace  with 
her  sister-in-law  was  dear  to  her;  hard  as  it  was  to  submit  to 
injustice,  it  was  not  in  her  nature  to  express  her  vexation  in 
angry  words,- and  it  would  have  been  a  painful  effort.  So  she 
only  said,  with  some  irritation:  "I  can  only  beg  you  to  ask 
other  people  what  they  had  to  pay,  and  then  scold  me  if  vou 
think  it  just!" 

And  with  these  words  she  left  the  kitchen. 

"  But  I  am  not  scolding  you,  child!"  cried  Barbara. 

But  Maria  would  not  hear.  She  hastily  went  upstairs,  and 
locked  herself  into  her  own  room.  All  her  satisfaction  Mas 
dashed  again. 

On  Sunday  she  went  to  church.  After  dinner  she  filled  a 
linen  satchel  with  small  provisions  for  Adrian,  who  was  going 
on  a  boating  excursion  with  some  friends,  and  then  she  seated 
herself  by  the  window  in  her  own  room.  Well-dressed  citizens 
— among  them  several  members  of  the  town  council — came 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  75 

down  the  street  with  their  wives  and  children  in  Sunday  array. 
Young  girls  with  flowers  in  their  tuckers  passed  in  twos  and 
threes  over  the  bridge  across  the  Gracht  to  join  the  dancers 
at  a  village  outside  the  Zyl  Gate.  They  walked  primly  along 
in  silence,  and  with  downcast  eyes;  but  many  a  cheek  was 
tinged  with  a  blush,  and  more  then  one  rosy  mouth  parted  in 
an  irresistible  smile,  when  the  young  men  who  followed  in  the 
wake  of  the  demure  damsels — as  gay  and  devious  themselves 
as  the  gulls  that  flutter  after  a  ship— broke  out  into  some  saucy 
jest,  or  whispered  a  word  to  one  which  no  third  person  was 
meant  to  overhear. 

Each  and  all,  as  they  streamed  toward  the  Zyl  Gate,  seemed 
careless  and  content;  and  it  could  be  seen  in  every  face  that 
all  looked  forward  to  happy  hours  out  in  the  sunny  fields  and 
under  the  open  sky.  Even  to  Maria  the  pleasure  that  attract- 
ed them  seemed  sweet  and  desirable;  but  what  part  had  she 
with  these  gay  folks— she  with  an  aching  heart  among  stran- 
gers? The  shadows  of  the  houses  seemed  to  her  darker  than 
usual,  the  air  of  the  town  more  oppressive;  and  she  felt  as  if 
the  spring  had  come  for  all  men,  great  and  small,  old  and 
young,  excepting  herself  alone. 

The  masts  and  trees  by  the  banks  of  the  Achter  Gracht  were 
already  beginning  to  cast  longer  shadows,  and  the  golden  mist 
that  hung  above  the  roofs  was  taking  a  tender  pink  tinge, 
when  Maria  heard  approaching  hoofs.  She  drew  herself  stiitly 
up  and  her  heart  beat  violently.  She  would  receive  Peter 
somewhat  differently  from  her  wont;  she  must  be  frank  with 
him  and  show  him  what  she  felt,  and  that  matters  could  not 
go  on  in  this  way;  and  she  was  still  seeking  words  in  which  to 
express  what  she  had  to  say  when  the  horse  stopped  before  the 
door.  Sne  went  to  the  window  and  saw  her  husband  fling  him- 
self from  the  saddle  and  look  eagerly  up  at  her  room.  Sbe 
would  not  send  him  a  greeting,  but  her  heart  drew  her  to  him; 
all  discontent,  every  grudging  thought  was  forgotten,  and  with 
winged  steps  she  flew  along  the  corridor  to  the  head  of  the 
stairs.     He  had  come  into  the  hall,  and  she  called  his  name. 

"  Maria,  child,  is  that  you?"  he  cried  out,  and,  trembling 
like  a  lover,  he  rushed  up  the  stairs,  met  her  on  the  top  step, 
and  clasped  her  with  passionate  tenderness  to  his  heart. 

"  At  last,  at  last,  I  have  you  again!"  he  said,  joyfully,  kiss- 
ing her  eyes  and  soft  hair.  She  had  elasped  her  arms  tightly 
round  his  neck,  but  he  gently  released  himself,  and  while  he 
held  her  in  his  own  he  asked:  "  Are  Barbara  and  Adrian  at 
home?" 

She  shook  her  head.     He  smiled,  and  stoorjing  down  lifted 


76  THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE. 

her  up  like  ;i  child,  and  carried  her  into  his  study.  Just  as 
some  fine  tree  standing  by  a  burning  house  is  caught  at  last  by 
the  flames,  (hough  men  have  tried  to  save  it  by  pouring  cold 
water  over  it,  so  her  cherished  determination  to  receive  him 
coolly  was  vanquished  by  the  warmth  of  his  affection.  She 
was  heartily  happy  to  have  him  near  her  again,  and  quite 
ready  to  believe  him  when,  with  tender  words,  he  told  her  how 
bitterly  he  had  felt  their  separation,  how  much  he  had  missed 
her,  and  how  her  inutge  had  always  stood  plainly  before  his 
fancy,  though  generally  he  had  no  capacity  for  recalling  an 
absent  face. 

How  warmly,  how  convincingly,  he  could  assure  her  of  his 
devotion!  She  was  still  a  happy  woman,  and  she  did  not  try 
to  restrain  the  full  expression  of  her  happiness. 

Adrian  and  Barbara  soon  came  in,  and  then,  at  supper,  how 
much  there  was  to  tell!  Peter  had  had  many  adventures  on 
his  journey,  and  had  come  home  with  renewed  hopes;  the  lad 
had  done  well  at  school,  and  Elizabeth's  illness  was  already  a 
danger  of  the  past  which  had  ended  well.  Barbara  was  radiant 
with  satisfaction,  for  everything  seemed  to  be  on  the  b^piest 
footing  between  her  brother  and  his  wife.  So  the  sweet  April 
evening  passed  happily  by. 

The  next  morning,  as  Maria  jilaited  her  hair  with  black  vel- 
vet ribbons,  she  felt  glad  and  thankful,  for  she  had  found 
courage  to  tell  Peter  that  she  longed  to  have  a  greater  part  in 
his  anxieties  than  he  had  hitherto  allowed  her,  and  he  had  met 
her  with  full  consent.  Now,  she  hoped,  a  broader  and  worthier 
life  was  about  to  begin  for  her;  to-day  he  was  to  tell  her  all  he 
had  arranged  and  carried  out  with  the  prince  at  Dortrecht,  for 
till  this  moment  not  a  word  on  this  subject  had  passed  his  lips. 

Barbara,  who  was  bustling  about  the  kitchen,  and  just  then 
tryiug  to  capture  three  young  fowls  with  a  view  to  their  in- 
stant execution,  granted  them  a  brief  respite,  and  even  threw 
a  handful  of  barley  into  the  coop,  as  she  heard  her  sister-in- 
law  come  singing  down  the  stairs.  The  fragmentary  bars  of 
Wilhelm's  new  madrigal  sounded  as  sweetly  in  her  ears,  and 
as  full  of  promise,  as  the  song  of  the  nightingale  when  the 
husbandman  first  hears  it  after  a  long  winter.  Spring-time 
had  come  into  the  house  again,  and  her  kind  round  face  shone 
smiling  and  unclouded  out  of  her  big  cap,  like  a  sunflower  in 
the  midst  of  its  green  leaves,  as  she  exclaimed  to  Maria: 

"  This  is  a  good  day  for  you,  child;  we  will  melt  down  the 
butter  to  keep,  and  salt  the  bacon." 

it  sounded  as  pleasant  as  an  invitation  to  Paradise,  and 
Maria  gladly  helped  in  the  work,  which  they  began  without 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  77 

delay.  When  the  widow's  hands  were  busy  her  tongue  was 
never  still,  and  her  curiosity  was  not  a  little  excited  as  to  what 
might  have  passed  between  Peter  and  his  young  wife. 

She  soon  skillfully  brought  the  conversation  round  to  the  re- 
turned traveler,  and  then,  as  if  by  chance,  out  came  the  ques- 
tion: 

"And  has  he  given  you  any  sufficient  reasons  for  setting 
out  on  his  wedding-day?" 

' '  Of  course  I  knew  he  could  not  stay. " 

"  Of  course  not — of  course  not!  But  if  you  make  yourself 
out  green  the  goats  will  eat  you.  It  does  not  do  to  put  up 
with  too  much  from  a  man.  Give  and  take,  I  say.  An  in- 
justice done  you  is  as  good  as  hard  cash  in  married  life,  and 
you  ought  to  get  a  good  calf  for  your  money. " 

"  I  do  not  want  to  drive  a  bargain  with  Peter;  and  if  one 
thing  and  another  did  weigh  on  my  mind,  after  such  a  long 
separation  I  was  glad  to  forget  it." 

' '  A  damp  truss  of  hay  is  enough  to  spoil  a  whole  stack, 
and  when  a  hare  has  got  into  your  cabbage-garden  you  had 
better  catch  it.  You  should  never  nurse  up  a  thing  that  wor- 
ries you,  but  have  it  out  in  broad  daylight.  That  is  what  a 
man  has  a  tongue  for,  and  yesterday  was  the  day  when  you 
ought  to  have  made  a  clean  breast  of  everything  that  troubled 
you." 

"  But  he  was  so  glad  to  get  home;  and,  besides,  what  makes 
you  think  I  am  unhappy?" 

"  Unhappy?    Who  said  so?" 

Maria  colored,  and  the  widow  took  up  a  knife  and  opened 
the  hen-coop. 

Trautchen  was  helping  the  two  housewives  in  their  work  in 
the  kitchen;  but  she  was  often  interrupted,  for  the  door- 
knocker never  rested  that  morning,  and  the  visitors  must  have 
brought  anything  rather  than  pleasing  news  to  the  burgomas- 
ter, for  his  deep,  angry  tones  were  often  audible  even  in  the 
kitchen. 

His  longest  interview  was  with  the  town  clerk,  Van  Hout, 
who  came  to  him  not  merely  to  learn  his  news  and  report  prog- 
ress, but  with  a  serious  list  of  conrplaints  to  make.  It  was  a 
singular  scene  when  these  two  men,  who  so  far  exceeded  their 
fellow-citizens  not  only  in  physical  presence  and  in  moral  dig- 
nity, but  in  enthusiastic  devotion  to  the  cause  of  freedom, 
mutually  expressed  and  explained  their  views  and  their  com- 
mon sense  of  dissatisfaction.  Van  Hout,  fiery,  eager,  and 
imaginative,  led  the  duet;  Van  der  Werff,  deliberate  and  reti- 
cent, took  the  second  with  anxious  earnestness. 


78  THE    BURGOMASTEr/S   WIFE. 

There  was  much  dissatisfaction  among  the  elders  and 
authorities  of  the  town,  the  wealthy  old  families  and  the  great 
weavers  and  brewers;  for  with  them  life,  possessions,  and  posi- 
tion were  more  precious  than  religion  and  liberty;  while  the 

poor  man,  who  painfully  earned  bread  for  his  family  in  the 
sweat  of  his  brow,  was  cheerfully  resolved  to  shed  his  blood 
and  sacrifice  his  all  for  the  good  cause.  Thus  there  were  end- 
less difficulties  to  be  met  and  dealt  with.  Every  shed  or 
scaffolding,  the  tenter-frames  and  wood-work  of  all  kinds 
which  might  serve  to  shelter  or  conceal  a  man,  must  be  laid 
level  with  the  earth,  as  already  every  garden-house  and  build- 
ing near  the  city  walls  had  been  razed  to  the  ground.  A  great 
deal  of  newly  erected  wood-work  had  indeed  been  removed, 
but  the  richer  owners  were  those  who  held  out  longest  against 
laying  the  ax  to  them.  New  earth-works  had  been  begun  round 
the  strong  fort  of  Valkenburg,  but  part  of  the  land  which 
the  laborers  had  to  dig  out  belonged  to  a  brewer,  who  asked 
enormous  compensation  for  the  injury  to  his  fields.  During 
the  former  siege,  which  had  been  raised  in  March,  paper  money 
had  been  issued — circular  pieces  of  pasteboard — with  the  lion 
of  the  Netherlands  on  one  side,  and  the  motto:  "  Hcec  liber- 
tatis  ergo  ;"  and,  on  the  other,  the  arms  of  the  city,  with  the 
Avords:  "  Gott  behilte  Leyden"  (God  protect  Leyden).  This 
paper  coinage  ought  to  have  been  by  this  time  exchanged  for 
metal  money  or  an  equivalent  in  corn,  but  certain  well-to-do 
speculators  had  chosen  to  hold  over  a  quantity  of  the  pieces, 
and  were  trying  to  force  up  their  value. 

Demands  of  every  kind  and  from  all  sides  were  made  on  the 
burgomaster's  time  and  attention;  and  at  the  same  time  he 
had  his  own  interests  to  consider,  for  all  intercourse  with  the 
outer  world  might  at  any  moment  be  cut  off,  and  it  was  indis- 
pensable that  he  should  settle  a  variety  of  matters  with  his 
business  agent  in  Hamburg.  He  must  in  any  case  lose  great- 
ly, but  he  would  leave  nothing  undone  to  secure  what  might 
yet  be  saved  for  his  wife  and  children. 

These  he  now  saw  but  seldom;  he  thought  he  had  amply  re- 
deemed the  promise  he  had  made  to  Maria  on  his  return  home, 
when  he  shortly  answered  her  questions,  or,  of  his  own  accord, 
brieily  informed  her: 

"  We  had  warm  work  to-day  at  the  town  hall;"  or,  "  The 
exchanging  of  the  siege  tokens  has  given  rise  to  greater  diffi- 
culties than  we  had  expected.  " 

The  kindly  ''raving  for  confidence  given  and  received  was 
unknown  to  him;  and  his  first  wife  had  been  perfectly  content 
and  happy  when,  in  peaceful  times,  he  had  sat  silent  by  her 


THE     BUKGOMASTEK'S   WIFE.  79 

side,  called  her  his  dearest  treasure,  played  with  his  children,  or 
praised  her  waffle*  and  the  Sunday  joint.  His  trade  in  leather 
and  public  affairs  had  been  his  business;  the  kitchen  and  the 
nursery  had  been  hers.  What  they  had  in  common  was  the 
certainty  of  each  other's  affection,  their  children,  and  the  re- 
spectability, dignity,  and  ownership  of  the  house. 

Maria  wanted  something  more,  and  he  was  very  ready  to 
give  it,  but  when  in  the  evening  she  pressed  the  overtired 
burgomaster  with  questions  which  he  was  accustomed  to  hear 
only  from  men,  he  put  her  off  till  easier  times  for  the  answers, 
or  even  fell  asleep  in  the  middle  of  her  eager  questionings. 
She  saw  how  overburdened  he  was — how  unrestingly  he  toiled; 
but  why,  then,  did  he  not  throw  some  of  the  labor  and  care  on 
to  other  shoulders? 

One  fine  day  he  went  with  her  out  into  the  country.  She 
took  the  opportunity  of  representing  to  him  that  he  owed  it  to 
himself  and  to  her  to  allow  himself  more  rest.  He  listened 
to  her  patiently,  and  when  she  had  come  to  an  end  of  her  en- 
treaties and  warnings,  he  took  her  hand  in  his,  and  said : 

'  You  have  seen  Master  Marnix  St.  Aldegronde,  have  you 
not?  and  you  know  all  that  our  cause  owes  to  him.  Do  you 
know  his  favorite  motto?" 

She  bowed  her  head,  and  answered,  softly:  "  Eepos  ail- 
leurs." 

'  We  can  rest  elsewhere, "  he  repeated,  gravely. 

She  shivered,  and  withdrawing  her  hand  from  his  arm,  she 
could  not  help  thinking:  "  Elsewhere!  not  here,  then — that  is 
plain.  Peace  and  happiness  can  not  dwell  here!"  She  did 
not  speak  the  words,  but  she  could  not  get  them  out  of  her 
head. 


CHAPTEE  XII. 

The  Nobel  Street  was  still  enough  in  those  early  days  of 
spring,  and  the  house  of  the  Hoogstratens  was  stillest  of  all. 
The  road-way  in  front  of  it  had  been  strewn  with  straw  and 
sand,  in  obedience  to  Dr.  de  Bont's  orders  and  those  of  the  old 
lady's  business  adviser,  for  she  was  very  ill.  The  windows 
were  closely  curtained,  and  a  pad  of  cloth  had  been  tied  under 
the  door-knocker.  The  door  itself  was  left  ajar,  and  close 
within  sat  a  servant  to  give  information  to  all  who  should  call 
or  ask  admission.  It  was  a  morning  early  in  May,  when  Wil- 
helm  Corneliussolm  and  Janus  Dousa  turned  into  the  Nobel 
Street.     The  two  men  were  in  eager  conversation,  but  as  they 


80  TITE    BURGOMASTER'S   "WIFE. 

approached  the  Band-strewn  spot  they  at  first  lowered  their 
tones,  and  presently  were  silent. 

"  This  is  the  carpet  spread  for  the  feet  of  the  all-conqueror 
Death,"  said  the  baron;  "let  us  hope  he  will  only  lower  his 
torch  onee  before  this  house,  and  that  he  may  eonfer  the  honor 
oil  the  old  -woman,  little  as  she  is  worthy  of  it.  Do  not  stay 
too  long  in  the  infected  house,  Master  Wilhelm." 

The  organist  softly  opened  the  door;  the  servant  bowed  to 
him  without  speaking,  and  went  at  once  to  call  Belotti,  for  the 
"  player  "  had  already  been  more  than  once  to  call  upon  the 
steward,  lie  went  into  the  little  room  where  he  was  accus- 
tomed to  wait,  and  there,  for  the  first  time,  he  found  another 
visitor,  and  certainly  in  a  strange  position.  Father  Damianns 
was  sitting  in  an  arm-chair,  bolt  upright,  but  with  his  head 
sunk  on  one  side,  and  fast  asleep.  The  priest  was  a  man  of 
nearer  forty  than  thirty,  and  his  face,  which  was  fringed  with 
a  thin,  light-colored  beard,  was  as  pink  and  white  as  a  child's. 
A  scanty  line  of  pale-yellow  hair  edged  his  wide  tonsure,  and 
the  sleeper's  fingers,  which  had  dropped  on  to  his  lap,  held  a 
rosary  of  olive-wood  beads,  browned  by  incessant  use.  A  sweet 
and  gentle  smile  curved  his  half-open  lips. 

"  This  mild-looking  saint  in  his  womanly  robes  does  not  look 
as  if  he  had  much  grij>  in  him,"  thought  Wilhelm.  "And 
yet  his  big  hands  are  horny,  as  if  they  had  done  some  hard 
work." 

When  Belotti  came  into  the  room  and  saw  the  sleeping 
priest,  he  carefully  pushed  a  cushion  under  his  head,  and  beck- 
oned to  Wilhelm  to  follow  him  out  into  the  hall. 

"  Let  us  leave  him  to  get  a  little  rest,"  said  the  Italian. 
"  He  had  been  sitting  by  the  padrona's  bedside  since  midday 
yesterday  till  about  two  hours  ago.  Most  of  the  time  i  En 
knows  nothing  of  what  is  going  on  around  her,  but  whenever 
she  recovers  consciousness  she  asks  for  spiritual  consolation. 
Still,  she  will  not  receive  the  last  sacraments,  for  she  will  not  ad- 
mit that  she  can  be  near  her  end.  Every  now  and  then,  when 
the  pain  is  worst,  she  asks  in  the  greatest  alarm  whether  every- 
thing is  ready  in  case  of  need,  for  she  is  terrified  at  the  thought 
of  dying  without  extreme  unction." 

"  And  how  is  Mistress  Henrika?" 

"A  very  little  better." 

At  this  moment  the  priest  came  out  of  the  side  room;  Belotti 
reverently  kissed  his  hand,  ami  Wilhelm  bowed  respectfully. 

"I  fell  asleep,"  said  Damianns.  simply,  but  in  a  less  deep 
voice  than  it  wa  natural  to  expect  from  his  stalwart  build  and 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  81 

broad  chest.  "  I  will  read  mass,  visit  my  sick,  and  return  as 
soon  as  possible.     Have  you  thought  better  of  it,  Belotti?" 

"It  is  of  no  use,  father;  it  will  not  do.  I  gave  notice  to 
quit  on  the  first  of  May;  this  is  the  eighth,  and  here  I  am  still 
— I  would  not  leave  the  house,  for  I  am  a  Christian!  But 
now,  the  ladies  have  a  good  doctor  to  take  care  of  them;  Sister 
Gonzaga  knows  her  duties;  you  yourself  deserve  a  jilace  among 
.  the  martyrs  in  Paradise  for  your  devotion  to  them;  so  I  may 
tie  up  my  bundle  and  be  off  without  having  a  sin  on  my  con- 
science. " 

"  No — do  not  go,  Belotti,"  said  the  priest,  earnestly,  "  or, 
if  you  persist  in  going  your  own  way,  at  least  do  not  boast  of 
being  a  Christian." 

"  You  will  staj^,"  cried  Wilhelm,  "  if  it  is  only  for  the  sake 
of  the  young  lady  whom  you  love  so  well." 

Belotti  shook  his  head,  and  answered  calmly: 

"  No,  master,  you  can  add  nothing  to  what  the  reverend 
father  put  before  me  yesterday.  My  mind  is  made  up,  and  I 
shall  go;  but,  as  I  value  your  good  opinion  and  the  reverend 
father's,  I  would  beg  you  to  do  me  the  favor  of  listening  to 
what  I  have  to  say.  I  have  seen  two-and-sixty  years,  and  an 
old  horse  and  an  old  servant  stand  a  long  time  in  the  market 
waiting  for  a  buyer.  In  Brussels  I  might  find  a  place  where  a 
Catholic  steward  was  needed  who  knows  his  business,  but  my 
old  heart  longs  to  see  Naples  once  more — I  can  not  tell  ycu 
how  wearily.  You,  young  master,  have  seen  our  blue  sea  and 
sky;  and  I  long  for  them,  no  doubt,  but  still  more  for  other 
and  smaller  things.  It  has  been  a  great  happiness  to  me  that 
I  have  been  able  to  speak  my  own  tongue  to  you,  Master  Wil- 
helm, and  to  you,  reverend  father;  but  there  is  a  country  where 
every  one  speaks  as  I  do.  There  is  a  little  village  at  the  foot 
of  Vesuvius — merciful  Heaven!  why,  many  a  man  might  be 
afraid  to  stay  in  it,  even  half  an  hour,  when  the  mountain 
grumbles  and  thunders,  and  ashes  fall  in  showers,  and  hot  lava 
in  fiery  streams.  Well,  the  houses  there  are  not  so  neatly 
built,  and  the  window-panes  do  not  shine  so  clean  as  they  do 
here-in  your  country.  I  am  almost  afraid  that  there  is  hardly 
a  pane  of  glass  in  all  Resina,  but  the  children  do  not  freeze 
there  any  more  than  they  do  with  you.  Lord!  wbat  would  a 
Ley  den  housewife  say  to  our  village  street?  Poles  covered 
with  vines,  branches  of  fig,  and  washing  of  all  colors  on  the 
roofs,  out  of  the  windows,  and  all  over  the  rickety  balconies; 
orange  and  lemon-trees  loaded  with  golden  fruits  in  the  little 
garden-plots,  where  there  are  no  straight  paths  and  neatly 
edged   beds.     Everything   grows  higgledy-piggledy,  anyhow. 


82  THE     Bl  RG03IASTEK  S    WIFE. 

And  Ilic  hoys,  in  their  rags,  which  no  tailor  ever  darned  or 
patched,  scramble  about  on  the  white  walls  that  hedge  in  the 
vineyards;  and  the  little  girls,  whose  mothers  sit  combing  their 
hair  outside  the  front  door,  are  not  so  pink  and  white  and 
gpick  and  span  clean  as  Dutch  children,  and  yet  I  should  like 
to  Bee  their  little  brown  fares  and  Mark  heads  once  more,  with 
their  bright,  dark  eyes;  and  I  long  to  end  my  days  in  the  tum- 
ble-down old  home  among  my  nephews  and  nieces  and  rela- 
tions, in  the  warm  sunshine,  free  from  toil  and  care." 

The  old  man's  .heeks  glowed  as  he  spoke,  and  his  black 
eyes  Hashed  with  a  fire  which  till  now  the  cold  northern  air 
and  long  years  of  servitude  seemed  to  have  extinguished. 
Then,  as  neither  the  priest  nor  the  organist  at  once  spoke 
when  he  paused,  he  went  on: 

"  Monseigneur  Gloria  is  going  to  Italy  at  once,  and  I  can  go 
with  him  as  courier  as  far  as  Rome.  Thence  I  shall  easily 
reach  Naples,  and  I  can  live  there  at  ease  on  the  interest  of 
my  savings.  My  future  master  starts  on  the  loth,  and  by  the 
12th  I  must  be  in  Antwerp,  where  I  am  to  join  him." 

The  priest  and  the  musician  glanced  at  each  other.  >Vil- 
helm  had  not  the  heart  to  oppose  the  steward's  purpose,  but 
Damiauus  did  not  hesitate;  he  laid  his  hand  on  the  old  man's 
shoulder,  saying: 

"  If  you  stay  here  only  a  few  weeks  longer,  Belotti,  you  will 
win  the  only  real  peace — I  mean  the  peace  of  a  good  con- 
science. Those  who  are  faithful  unto  death  are  promised  the 
crown  of  life.  When  these  evil  times  are  past  and  over  you 
will  easily  find  means  of  making  your  way  homeward  smoothly 
and  pleasantly.  We  shall  meet  again  at  noon,  Belotti;  if  be- 
fore that  my  aid  is  needed,  send  for  me;  old  Ambersius  knows 
where  to  find  me.  The  blessing  of  God  be  with  you— and  if 
you  will  accept  it  at  my  hands,  with  you  too,  Master  W  il- 
helm." 

The  priest  left  the  house,  and  the  steward  said,  with  a  sigh: 

"  So  he  will  force  me,  willy-nilly,  to  do  as  he  wishes.  He 
abuses  his  power  over  men's  souls.  I  am  no  saint,  and  what 
he  expects  of  me — ' ' 

"  Is  what  is  right,"  interrupted  Wilhelm,  boldly. 

"Ah!  but  you  do  not  know  what  it  is  to  throw  away  the 
fondest  hope  of  a  long  and  troubled  life,  as  if  it  were  no  more 
than  an  old  shoe.  And  for  what,  I  ask  you,  and  for  whom? 
Do  you  know  my  mistress?  I  tell  yon.  master.  I  have  gone 
through  things  in  this  house,  and  seen  things  your  young  spirit 
can  not  even  dream  of,  and  could  never  conceive  of  as  possible. 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  83 

But  the  young  mistress — you  are  in  love  with  her,  Master 
Wilhelni?     Am  I  right  or  no?" 

"  No,  you  are  mistaken,  Belotti. " 

"  Eeally,  truly?  Then,  for  your  sake,  I  am  glad;  for  you  are 
an  humble  artist,  and  the  signorina  bears  the  proud  name  of 
Hoogstraten,  which  is  saying  everything.  Do  you  know  the 
young  lady's  father?" 

"No."  _ 

"  There  is  a  race — a  race!  Did  you  ever  hear  the  history  of 
our  signorina's  elder  sister?" 

"  Had  Henrika  an  elder  sister?" 

"  Yes,  master,  and  when  I  remember  her —  Picture  to  your- 
self our  signorina  exactly,  only  taller,  more  stately,  and  hand- 
somer. " 

"  Isabella!"  exclaimed  the  musician.  A  suspicion  which 
had  haunted  him  ever  since  his  conversation  with  Henrika 
seemed  suddenly  confirmed  as  fact;  he  seized  the  steward's 
arm  so  hastily  and  unexpectedly  that  the  old  man  shrunk  back 
as  the  musician  exclaimed: 

"  What  do  you  know  of  her?  I  entreat  you,  Belotti,  tell 
me  everything. " 

The  old  man  glanced  toward  the  stairs,  and  then,  shaking 
his  head,  replied: 

"  There  is  some  mistake.  There  never  was  an  Isabella  in 
the  family  to  my  knowledge;  but  I  am  at  your  service  all  the 
same.  Call  again  after  sundown,  only  do  not  expect  to  hear  a 
pleasant  tale." 

Twilight  had  scarcely  deepened  into  night  when  the  musician 
betook  himself  again  to  the  Hoogstratens'  house.  The  little 
room  was  unoccupied,  but  he  had  not  long  to  wait  for  Belotti. 
The  old  man  set  an  elegant  tray  by  the  light  on  the  table, 
with  a  flagon  of  wine  and  a  glass;  and  when  he  had  reported 
on  the  state  of  the  two  invalids,  offered  the  musician  a  seat 
with  elaborate  politeness.  Wilhelm  having  asked  him  why  he 
had  not  brought  a  glass  for  himself  too,  he  replied: 

"  I  never  drink  anything  but  water — but  I  will  take  the  lib- 
erty to  sit  down.  The  footman  has  fled  from  the  house,  and 
the  whole  day  I  am  running  up  and  down-stairs;  it  has  tired 
my  old*  legs  till  they  ache,  and  there  is  no  peace  to  be  hoped 
for  this  night  again. " 

The  room  was  lighted  by  a  single  taper;  Belotti,  leaning  far 
back  in  his  arm-chair,  slowly  parted  and  raised  his  hands  as  he 
began:  "  Well,  then — as  I  said  this  morning,  the  Hoogstratens 
are  a  strange  race.  In  most  places  the  children  of  the  same 
parents  often  turn  out  very  different;  but  in  your  little  coiui- 


84  THE    BURGOMASTER'S  'WIFE. 

try,  which  has  its  own  peculiar  tongue,  and  a  good  many  other 
things  peculiar  to  it,  besides— as  you  will  not  deny— every  old 
family  has  its  strongly  marked  individuality.  I  ought  to 
know,  for  I  have  been  in  and  out  of  many  a  noble  house  in 
Holland.  Every  race  has  its  own  spirit  and  its  own  peculiar 
ways.  Even  when,  saving  your  presence,  there  is  a  crack  in 
the  upper  story,  it  is  seldom  confined  to  a  single  member  of  a 
fan  lily.  My  mistress  has  more  of  her  French  mother's  ways — 
But  I  was  to  tell  you  about  the  signorina,  and  I  am  wandering 
too  far. " 

"  No,  Belotti,  not  at  all;  there  is  plenty  of  time,  and  I  am 
glad  to  hear  all  you  tell  me;  but  first  you  must  answer  me  one 
question. " 

"  Eh,  master,  how  red  your  cheeks  are!  You  met  my  sign- 
orina in  Italy?" 

"  I  believe  so,  Belotti." 

"Ah,  then,  to  be  sure!— those  who  had  seen  her  once  did 
not  easily  forget  her.     And  what  is  it  you  want  to  know?" 

"  First  of  all  the  lady's  name." 

"Anna." 

"  And  not  Isabella  as  well?" 

"  No,  master;  she  was  always  called  Anna." 

"  And  when  did  she  leave  Hollaud?" 

"  Stop — it  was  four  years  next  Easter." 

"  Is  her  hair  black,  brown,  fair?" 

"I  told  you,  exactly  like  Mistress  Henrika's.  But  what 
lady  could  riot  dye  her  hair  black,  brown,  or  fair?  I  think  we 
should  come  straighter  to  the  point  if  you  would  allow  me  to 
ask  you  a  question.  Has  the  lady  of  whom  you  speak  a  large 
half-moon  scar  close  under  her  hair  in  the  middle  of  her  fore- 
head?" 

"  That  settles  it,"  said  Wilhelm,  starting  up.  "  As  a  child 
she  fell  against  some  weapon  of  her  father's. " 

"  Quite  the  contrary,  sir.  The  Baron  van  Hoogstraten's 
pistol-butt  struck  his  sweet  daughter's  face.  How  horrified 
you  look!  My  God!  I  have  seen  worse  things  than  that  in 
this  house.  And  now  it  is  my  turn  again:  In  what  town  in 
Italy  did  you  meet  the  signorina?" 

"  In  Eome,  alone  and  under  an  assumed  name:  Isabella — a 
Butch  girl!  I  implore  you,  Belotti,  go  on  with  your  story;  I 
will  not  interrupt  you  again.  What  could  the  child  have  done 
that  her  own  father — " 

"  Of  all  the  mad  Hoogstratens,  the  baron  is  the  wildest.  In 
Italy  you  may  have  met  his  match;  here  in  your  country  you 
would  look  a  long  time  before  you  found  such  another  whirl- 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S    WIFE.  85 

wind.  Still,  you  must  not  think  he  is  a  bad-natured  man; 
only  a  single  word  that  goes  against  the  grain,  a  mere  sidelong 
glance  is  enough  to  put  him  beside  himself,  and  then  he  will 
do  things  that  a  man  repents  as  soon  as  they  have  happened. 
With  regard  to  the  scar  on  his  daughter's  face,  it  fell  out  thus: 
She  was  but  a  child,  and  of  course  she  was  not  allowed  to 
touch  a  gun  with  the  tips  of  her  fingers,  still  she  would  do  it 
whenever  she  had  a  chance,  and  once  a  pistol  went  off  and  the 
bullet  struck  the  baron's  best  hunting-dog.  Her  father  heard 
the  shot,  and  when  he  saw  the  dog  lying  dead,  and  the  pistol 
at  the  child's  feet,  he  snatched  it  up  and  hit  her  with  the  heavy 
butt  end." 

A  child — his  own  daughter!"  cried  Wilhelm,  furious. 
'  Well,  you  see,  there  are  various  sorts  of  men,"  Belotti 
went  oji.  "  Some — and  you  no  doubt  are  one  of  them — con- 
sider carefully  before  they  s]3eak  or  act;  others  think  a  long 
time,  and  when  they  have  made  up  their  minds  there  is  a 
great  How  of  words  but  very  little  done;  but  a  third  sort; — and 
the  Hoogstratens  at  their  head — head  deep  on  deed,  and  when 
they  reflect  at  all  it  is  mostly  when  they  have  acted  and  done 
with  it.  Then  if  they  find  they  have  done  wrong,  pride  comes 
in  and  forbids  their  confessing  it,  or  making  it  good  or  retract- 
ing it.  And  so  one  misery  is  piled  on  another;  but  it  does  not 
hurt  them,  and  what  with  wine  and  gambling,  and  tourna- 
ments and  hunting,  they  soon  forget  it  all.  They  have  no  lack 
of  debts,  but  they  leave  it  to  the  creditors  to  look  after  them, 
and  they  find  places  at  court  or  in  the  army  for  their  younger 
sons,  who  inherit  no  estate;  for  the  girls,  thank  God!  so  long 
as  they  belong  to  our  Holy  Church  there  is  no  lack  of  con- 
vents; and  then  for  boys  and  girls  alike  there  is  something  to 
hope  for  from  aunts  and  other  relations  who  die  childless." 

"  You  paint  the  picture  in  dark  colors." 
'  But  they  are  the  true  ones,  and  exactly  represent  the 
baron;  to  be  sure  he  had  no  need  to  keep  his  estates  intact  for 
a  son,  since  his  wife  brought  him  no  boys.     He  met  her  at  the 
court  of  Brussels — she  was  a  native  of  Parma. " 

"  Did  you  know  her?" 

"  She  was  dead  before  I  entered  the  padrona's  service.  The 
two  young  ladies  grew  up  without  any  mother.  I  have  told 
how  the  baron  could  get  into  a  passion  even  with  them,  but  he 
was  very  fond  of  them,  and  could  never  make  up  his  mind  to 
let  either  of  them  go  into  a  convent.  Often  and  often  he  could 
not  help  feeling — at  least  so  he  used  to  say  in  conversation  with 
my  mistress— that  there  might  bo  a  more  fitting  home  for  a 
young  girl   of  rank  than  his   castle,  where  life  was  rough 


86  THE    ISURGOM  \    II  I;'      WIVE. 

enough  in  all  way-,  and  a1  Lasi  be  sent  his  eldest  daughter  to 
u>.     My  mist  ress  could  not,  a.-  a  rule,  endure  any  young  girl 

near  her,  but  Mistress  Anna  was  one  of  our  nearest  relatives; 
and  I  know  that  she  had,  in  fact,  invited  her  of  her  own  free 
will.  I  can  Bee  her  now — the  signorina — as  she  was  at  sixteen; 
a  sweeter  creature,  Master  Wilhelm,  my  old  eyes  never  saw 
before  nor  since;  and  yet  she  was  never  twice  the  same.  I 
have  seen  her  as  soft  as  Flanders  velvet,  and  then  at  other 
times  she  would  storm  and  rave  like  one  of  your  November 
storms  here.  She  was  always  as  lovely  as  a  new-blown  rose, 
and  having  been  brought  up  by  her  mother's  old  waiting- 
woman — a  native  of  Lugano — while  the  priest  who  taught  her 
came  from  Pisa,  and  was  famous  for  his  knowledge  of  music, 
she  spoke  my  language  exactly  like  a  Tuscan  child,  neither 
better  nor  worse,  and  was  a  proficient  in  music.  Well!  you 
yourself  have  heard  her  singing  and  her  bar})  and  lute  playing; 
but  you  must  know  that  all  the  ladies  of  the  Iloogstraten  fam- 
ily, with  the  single  exception  of  my  old  mistress,  have  a  par- 
ticular talent  for  your  art.  In  the  summer-time  we  used  to 
live  in  (hat  pretty  country  house  which  Mas  pulled  down  be- 
fore the  siege  of  the  Dutch  party — and  very  little  right  they 
had  to  do  so  in  my  opinion.  There  we  had  many  grand  visit- 
ors riding  out  to  us;  we  kept  open  house,  and  where  there  is  a 
well-spread  table  to  be  found,  and  a  fair  damsel,  like  our  sign- 
orina, knights  of  every  degree  are  sure  not  to  be  far  off. 
Among  them  there  was  a  certain  very  illustrious  personage  of 
middle  age,  the  Marquis  d'Avennes,  whom  the  padrona  ex- 
]}ressly  invited  there.  No  prince  could  be  more  attentively  re- 
ceived; but  this  was  natural,  as  his  mother  was  a  relative  of 
my  mistress:  you  must  know  that  on  her  mother's  side  she  was 
of  Norman  extraction.  The  Marquis  d'Avennes  was  a  fine 
gentleman,  and  no  mistake,  still  he  was  elegant  rather  than 
manly.  Before  long  he  was  madly  in  love  with  Mistress  Anna, 
and  formally  proposed  for  her  hand.  The  aunt  favored  his 
suit,  and  the  baron  simply  said:  '  You  have  got  to  take  him. ' 
He  woidd  hear  of  no  refusal.  And  indeed  other  fathers  in  his 
position  do  not  ask  their  daughters'  ojiinion  when  a  suitable 
husband  comes  forward.  So  the  signorina  was  betrothed  to 
the  marquis,  but  the  padrona  said  very  decidedly  that  her 
ni'  i  e  was  too  young  to  be  married  just  yet,  and  she  persuaded 
the  baron — whom  she  could  turn  and  twist  as  the  shoeing' 
smith  manages  a  foal — to  put  oil'  the  marriage  till  after  Faster. 
During  the  wilder  they  would  see  about  the  preparations;  and 
the  marquis  had  to  accept  the  condition  of  waiting  for  another 
six  months.     He  rode  oil  to  France  again,  with  the  betrothal 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIPE.  8? 

ring  on  his  finger.  His  betrothed  never  shed  the  smallest  tear 
at  parting,  and  before  the  very  eyes  of  her  waiting-woman, 
who  told  me  of  it,  she  pulled  off  her  ring  and  tossed  it  into 
her  jewelry-tray.  She  did  not  dare  to  oppose  her  father,  but 
she  did  not  conceal  her  opinion  of  the  marquis  from  her  aunt, 
who,  though  she  had  favored  the  marquis's  suit,  let  her  talk 
as  she  pleased.  There  had  been  high  words  between  the  old 
lady  and  the  young  one  many  a  time  before  that,  and  though 
the  padrona  had  had  good  reason  to  clip  the  wild  hawk's 
wings,  and  to  teach  her  what  was  becoming  in  a  noble's  daugh- 
ter, still  the  signorina  was  justified  in  complaining  of  all  the 
exactions  by  which  her  aunt  sj)oiled  the  happiness  of  her  young 
life.  It  grieves  me,  master,  to  disturb  the  confidence  of  your 
age,  but  those  who  have  kept  their  eyes  open  as  they  grow  old, 
have  seen  men  who  take  pleasure  in  tormenting  their  fellows 
— nay,  to  whom  it  is  a  necessity  of  existence.  At  the  same 
time,  it  comforts  me  to  believe  that  no  one  is  spiteful  for 
spite's  sake;  nay,  I  have  often  found  that  the  worst  impulses 
— how  can  I  express  it? — that  the  worst  impulses  proceed  from 
their  counterpart,  the  exaggerated  practice  of  the  noblest  virt- 
ues of  which  they  are,  as  it  were,  the  wrong  side,  or  the  very 
mockery.  I  have  seen  green  envy  come  of  a  noble  ambition, 
base  greed  come  of  honest  zeal,  and  mad  hate  come  of  tender 
passion.  My  mistress  when  she  was  young  could  love  faith- 
fully and  truly;  but  she  was  shamefully  betrayed,  and  now 
she  is  a  prey  to  grudging  spite,  not  against  any  particular  per- 
son, but  against  life  in  general;  and  a  noble  spirit  of  constancy 
has  been  turned  to  an  obstinate  tenacity  of  her  evil  purposes. 
What  I  mean,  and  how  it  all  happened,  you  will  understand  if 
you  hear  my  story  to  the  end.  As  winter  came  on,  I  was  in- 
trusted with  the  task  of  going  to  Brussels  and  there  setting  up 
a  new  house  on  the  most  splendid  scale;  the  ladies  were  to  fol- 
low me  shortly.  It  is  just  four  years  ago.  The  Duke  of  Alva 
was  then  living  at  Brussels  as  viceroy,  and  that  grand  person- 
age held  my  mistress  in  high  esteem;  indeed  he  had  twice  done 
her  the  honor  of  coming  to  visit  her,  and  his  chief  officers 
were  always  in  and  out  of  our  house.  Among  them  was  Don 
Luis  d'Avila,  a  nobleman  of  an  ancient  house,  who  was  one 
of  the  duke's  prime  favorites.  He,  like  the  marquis,  was  past 
his  first  youth,  but  he  was  a  man  of  a  very  different  stamp. 
He  was  tall,  and  as  strong  as  if  he  had  been  made  of  ham- 
mered steel — a  gambler,  and  at  the  same  time  a  swordsman  of 
irresistible  skill,  and  desperately  quarrelsome;  still,  there  was 
something  in  bis  Hashing  eye  and  fine  voice  which  had  a  mys- 
terious charm  and  nower  over  women.     Dozens  of  adventures 


88  THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WTFE. 

attributed  to  him  were  told  in  the  servants'  hall,  and  half  of 
them  at  least  were  founded  on  facts;  that  came  to  my  certain 

knowledge  at  a  later  time.  But  you  would  be  mistaken  it'  you 
were  to  picture  to  yourself  this  heart-breaking  lady-killer  as  a 
gay  and  curly  hero  of  romance  whom  every  damsel  danced 
forth  to  meet,  offering  him  her  heart  and  her  hand.  Don 
Luis  was  a  grave-looking  man.  with  a  pale  face  and  short-cut 
hair,  who  never  wore  any  but  dark  clothes,  and  whose  sword- 
hilt  even,  instead  of  being  of  gold  or  silver,  was  of  sonic  black 
metal.  He  was  more  like  an  image  of  death  than  of  love. 
Perhaps  it  was  that  which  made  him  irresistible,  for  we  arc  all 
born  to  death,  and  no  suitor  is  so  sure  to  win  as  lie.  My  mis- 
tress was  at  first  not  disposed  to  like  him,  but  that  soon 
changed,  and  by  the  new  year  he  was  admitted  to  her  little 
supper-parties.  He  came  whenever  he  was  invited,  but  he 
never  had  a  word,  or  a  look,  or  a  greeting  for  the  young  mis- 
tress. It  was  only  when  the  signorina  sung  to  them  that  he 
would  go  up  to  her  and  make  sharp  remarks  as  to  what  hi'  did 
not  like  in  her  performance.  He  often  sun--  himself,  and  then 
he  would  commonly  choose  the  same  songs  as  the  Lady  Anna 
sung,  as  if  to  show  her  how  much  better  he  could  do  it.  Thus 
things  went  on  till  the  carnival.  On  Shrove  Tuesday  the 
padrona  gave  a  splendid  party,  and  I,  as  controlling  all  the 
servants,  was  standing  just  behind  the  signorina  and  Don  Luis 
— the  padrona  had  for  a  long  time  always  given  him  the  place 
next  to  her  niece — when  I  noticed  that  their  hands  had  met 
under  the  table,  and  remained  clasped  for  some  little  time. 
This  troubled  me  so  much  that  I  was  hardly  able  to  keep  up 
the  attention  which  was  indispensable  on  such  au  occasion;  ami 
next  morning,  when  my  mistress  sent  for  me  to  settle  accounts, 
I  considered  it  my  duty  to  remark  that,  notwithstanding  she 
was  betrothed  to  the  marquis,  Don  Luis  d'Avila's  courtship 
did  not  seem  to  be  displeasing  to  the  Signorina  Anna.  She 
let  me  speak  to  the  end,  but  when  I  began  to  repeat  some  of 
the  things  that  folks  said  about  the  Spaniard,  she  flew  into  a 
passion  and  showed  me  the  door.  A  trusted  servant  often  sees 
and  hears  more  than  his  masters  think,  and  I  was  on  the  best 
terms,  too,  with  the  padrona's  foster-sister;  she  is  dead  now, 
but  at  that  time  Susanna  knew  everything  that  concerned  my 
mistress.  Things  were  evidently  in  a  bad  way  for  the  marquis, 
away  in  France;  for  whenever  the  padrona  spoke  of  him  it 
was  always  with  a  laugh  which  we  knew  well,  and  which  boded 
no  one  any  good;  still  she  frequently  wrote  to  him  and  to  his 
mother,  and  letters  from  Rochebruii  came  to  us.  To  be  sure, 
she  and  Don  Luis  had  more  than  one  private  inter)  iew.     Dur- 


THE    BURGOMASTER^   WIFE.  89 

ing  Lent  a  messenger  came  from  the  baron,  with  the  an- 
nouncement that  on  Easter-day  he  should  arrive  at  Brussels 
from  Haarlem,  and  the  marquis  from  Chateau  Eochebrun; 
and  on  Holy  Thursday  I  was  commanded  to  have  the  private 
chapel  of  the  house  decorated  with  flowers,  to  order  post- 
horses,  and  what  not.  On  Good  Friday,  on  the  very  day  of 
our  Lord's  crucifixion — I  would  to  God  that  what  I  tell  you 
were  not  the  truth — on  Good  Friday  the  signorina  was  dressed 
very  early  in  her  bridal  dress;  Don  Luis  appeared,  all  in  black, 
as  proud  and  gloomy  as  ever,  and  before  sunrise,  by  the  light 
of  tapers,  on  a  cold,  damp  morning — it  is  as  fresh  in  my  mind 
as  if  it  were  yesterday — the  Castilian  was  married  to  my  sign- 
orina. The  padrona,  a  Spanish  officer,  and  myself,  were  the 
witnesses.  By  seven  in  the  morning  the  coach  was  at  the 
door,  and  after  it  was  packed  Don  Luis  gave  me  a  little  coffer 
to  put  into  the  carriage.  I  knew  that  chest  well,  and  it  was 
heavy;  the  padrona  was  accustomed  to  keep  gold  coin  in  it. 
By  Easter-day  all  Brussels  knew  that  Don  Luis  d'Avila  hud 
carried  off  the  beautiful  Anna  van  Hoogstraten,  having  met 
her  affianced  bridegroom  at  Hal  on  his  way  to  Brussels,  on 
the  morning  of  that  Holy  Thursday  —  hardly  twenty-four 
hours  before  the  marriage — and  run  him  through  in  a  duel. 
How  the  baron  stormed  when  he  arrived  is  a  thing  never 
to  be  forgotten.  The  padrona  refused  to  see  him,  and  gave 
out  that  she  was  ill,  but  she  was  as  well  as  she  ever  has  been 
in  these  latter  years  of  her  life." 

"  And  could  you  ever  account  for  your  mistress's  mysterious 
conduct?'''  asked  Wilhelm. 

"  Yes,  master;  the  reasons  were  as  clear  as  the  day.  But  it 
is  getting  late — I  must  make  my  story  short.  Indeed  I  have 
not  much  to  tell  you  as  to  the  details,  but  it  had  all  happened 
long  before,  when  I  was  but  a  child.  Susanna,  it  is  true,  told 
me  a  great  deal  that  would  be  well  worth  repeating.  My  mis- 
tress's mother  was  a  Chevraux,  and  the  padrona  herself  had 
passed  her  years  with  her  aunt  on  her  mother's  side,  who  spent 
every  winter  in  Paris.  It  was  in  the  time  of  his  late  majesty, 
King  Francis,  and,  as  you  know,  that  great  monarch  was  a 
gallant  gentleman — a  bold  chevalier,  of  whom  they  used  to 
say  that  he  had  broken  as  many  hearts  as  he  had  lances. 
Well,  my  mistress,  who  at  that  time  was  young  and  handsome, 
was  one  of  the  ladies  of  the  court,  and  the  king  had  shown  her 
many  distinguished  marks  of  favor.  But  the  lady  knew  how 
to  guard  her  honor,  for  she  had  before  found  her  knight  in  the 
brave  Marquis  d'Avennes,  to  whom  she  was  faithfully  devoted, 
and  for  whom  she  spent  many  a  night  in  bitter  tears;  for, 


90  THE    BtJRGOMA&Tl  R*8   WTFE. 

'  like  master  like  man,'  and  though  for  five  years  the  marquis 
wore  my  lady's  colors  and  did  her  the  Bervice  of  true  knight, 
his  eyes  and  his  hearl  wandered  far  and  wide.  However,  lie 
always  returned  to  his  allegiance,  and  as  the  sixth  year  was 

a p| Hunching,  the  Chevranx  family  began  to  press  llie  marquis 
to  bring  this  game  to  an  end  and  to  think  of  marriage.  Tin- 
padrona  began  to  make  her  preparations,  and  Susanna  herself 
was  present  when  she  consulted  the  marquis  as  to  whether  she 
should  keep  her  estates  and  castles  in  Holland  or  sell  them. 
Still  the  wedding  was  put  off.  The  marquis  had  to  go  with 
his  regiment  into  Italy,  and  my  lady  lived  iu  constant  alarm 
on  his  account,  for  the  French  fared  but  badly  in  my  country 
at  that  time,  and  news  was  often  months  in  coming.  At  last, 
however,  he  came  home,  and  there  he  found  in  the  Hotel 
Chevraux  a  young  cousin  of  the  padrona's,  whom  he  had  left 
a  child,  just  growing  up  into  a  lovely  girl.  The  rest  you  can 
guess;  the  rosebud  Hortense  pleased  the  marquis  infinitely 
better  than  the  Dutch  lady,  who  was  now  five-and-twenty.  The 
Chevraux  were  noble,  but  desperately  in  debt,  and  the  suitor, 
during  his  absence  in  Italy,  had  fallen  heir  to  a  splendid  fort- 
une from  an  uncle,  so  of  course  he  did  not  ask  in  vain.  My 
mistress  returned  to  Holland.  Her  father  challenged  the  mar- 
quis, but  no  blood  was  shed,  and  the  Lord  of  Avenues  was 
joined  in  holy  matrimony  to  Hortense  de  Chevraux.  It  was 
their  son  who  was  Signorina  Anna's  helpless  bridegroom.  Do 
you  see,  Master  Wilhelm?  For  half  a  lifetime  she  had  nursed 
and  gloated  over  her  old  grudge;  to  satisfy  it  she  sold  her  own 
flesh  and  blood  to  that  assassin,  Don  Luis,  and  in  payment  she 
wras  able  to  revenge  herself  on  the  mother,  by  the  death  of  her 
only  son,  for  the  grief  she  had  borne  for  years  for  her  sake." 

The  musician  rolled  up  the  handkerchief  with  which  he  had 
wiped  his  brow  into  a  tight  ball,  and  then  asked,  gloomily: 

"  What  did  you  ever  hear  of  Mistress  Anna  after  that?" 

"  But  little,"  replied  Belotti.  "  The  baron  cast  her  out  of 
his  heart  even,  and  always  called  Henrika  his  only  daughter. 
Happiness  rarely  seeks  out  those  who  are  burdened  with  a  fa- 
ther's curse,  and  it  certainly  never  lighted  upon  her.  Don 
Luis,  they  say,  was  degraded  in  military  rank  for  some  mis- 
demeanor, and  who  knows  what  became  of  the  poor,  lovely 
girl!  The  Padrona  used  to  send  her  money  sometimes  to 
Italy,  through  Signor  Lamperi,  and  by  way  of  Florence;  but 
for  the  last  few  months  I  have  heard  nothing  of  her  at  all." 

"One  question  more,  Belotti,"  said  Wilhelm.  "After  all 
that  had  happened  t<>  his  elder  daughter  in  your  mistress's 
house,  how  could  the  baron  trust  Henrika  also  to  her  care?" 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE.  91 

"  Money — a  mere  question  of  money.  To  keep  his  castle 
and  not  to  sacrifice  his  estates  he  sold  his  child.  Yes,  sir, 
sold  her  as  if  she  had  been  a  horse,  and  the  baron  did  not  part 
with  her  for  nothing,  I  can  tell  you.  Drink,  master,  you  look 
but  badly." 

"It  is  nothing/'  said  Wilhelm,  "  and  the  fresh  air  will  do 
me  good.     Thank  you  for  your  story,  Belotti." 


CHAPTER  XIII 

Dame  van"  der  Werff,  the  burgomaster's  wife,  was  busy 
on  the  afternoon  of  the  sixteenth  of  May  looking  through  the 
contents  of  certain  cupboards  and  shelves.  Her  husband  was 
at  the  town  couucil,  but  he  had  told  her  that  toward  evening 
Master  Dietrich  van  Bronkhorst,  the  prince's  commissioner, 
the  seigneurs  of  Nordwyk,  uncle  and  nejmew,  Van  Hout,  the 
town  secretary,  and  some  other  magnates  of  the  city  and 
friends  of  freedom,  were  to  meet  at  his  house  for  a  private  con- 
sultation. It  was  Maria's  part  to  provide  a  good  supper,  with 
wine  and  all  such  necessaries. 

This  little  excitement  had  cheered  and  brightened  the  young 
wife.  It  was  delightful  to  have  the  opportunity  for  once  of 
playing  the  hostess  in  something  of  the  spirit  of  her  early  home; 
and  how  long  it  was  since  she  had  enjoyed  the  pleasure  of  hear- 
ing any  earnest  and  purposeful  talk!  Visitors  she  had  in 
plenty,  to  be  sure;  all  the  gossips  and  relations  of  her  hus- 
band's family,  who  were  civil  to  her,  and  who  came  to  see  Bar- 
bara, constantly  begged  her  to  make  herself  at  home  with 
them;  but  though  many  of  them  made  friendly  advances,  and. 
were  women  that  she  could  not  fail  to  respect  for  their  estima- 
ble qualities,  there  was  not  one  who  attracted  her  warmer  lik- 
ing. Indeed,  though  there  was  little  enough  of  amusement 
or  variety  in  her  life,  Maria  had  a  real  horror  of  their  visits, 
and  endured  them  only  as  an  inevitable  evil.  These  worthy 
matrons  were  all  very  much  older  than  herself;  and  as  they 
sat  there,  eating  cakes  and  fruit,  and  drinking  spiced  wine, 
spinning,  knitting,  or  knotting — talking  of  the  evil  times  of 
the  siege,  of  nursing  children  and  managing  servants,  of  wash- 
ing and  of  soap-boiling,  or  sitting  in  judgment  on  the  number- 
less incomprehensible  and  never  quite  to  be  approved  deeds 
which  their  neighbors'  wives  were  supposed,  to  have  done,  to 
be  doing,  or  to  be  about  to  do — the  young  wife  grew  sick  at 
heart,  and  her  lonely  bedroom  seemed  a  peaceful  haven  of  rest. 

It  was  only  when  the  woes  of  the  country  were  discussed,  and 
the  sacred  duty  of  enduring  a  second  time,  if  need  should  be, 


02  THE    BURGOMASTERS   WIFE. 

every  pain  and  privation  for  I'lvnlmn's  sake,  that  she  could 
find  anything  to  say,  and  then  she  gladly  listened  to  the  stout- 
hearted dames,  who,  it  was  easy  to  see,  were  in  earnest  in  all 
they  said;  but  when  mere  idle  chatter  went  on  for  hours  at  a 
time,  it  1m  ,  ,ime  at  last  positive  suffering.  Still,  she  dared  not 
escape;  she  must  sit  it  out  till  the  last  gossip  had  taken  her 
leave,  for  Barbara  had  given  her  a  friendly  word  of  warning, 
when  she  had  once  or  twice  ventured  to  withdraw  early,  and 
had  told  her  frankly  that  she  had  had  some  difficulty  in  de- 
fending her  against  the  charge  of  pride,  airs,  and  bad  man- 
ners. 

"  Such  neighborly  chat,"  said  the  widow,  "  is  cheering,  and 
keeps  up  one's  spirits;  and  those  who  choose  to  be  the  first  to 
quit  a  party  of  friendly  gossips  may  well  pray  God  keep  them 
from  being  ill  spoken  of  behind  their  backs." 

There  was  one  woman  in  Leyden  after  Maria's  own  heart — 
this  was  the  wife  of  Van  Hout;  but  she  was  very  rarely  to  be 
seen,  for  though  she  looked  delicate  and  refined,  she  had  to 
work  early  and  late  to  keep  her  children  and  her  house  in 
order,  for  times  were  not  easy  with  the  town  clerk. 

However,  on  this  May  day  Maria  went  with  a  lighter  step 
and  heart  than  for  many  a  day  past,  first  to  the  side-board 
shelves  where  the  table  crockery  was  arranged,  and  then  to  the 
cupboard  where  their  silver  plate  was  kept:  and  all  the  best 
of  their  household  possessions  were  soon  in  their  place,  bright 
and  shining,  with  not  a  speck  of  dust,  on  white  linen  napkins 
trimmed  with  lace.  She  picked  out  what  she  needed,  but  a 
great  deal  of  the  pewter,  glass,  and  earthenware  was  not  at  all 
what  she  liked;  for  it  did  not  match,  or  had  been  replaced  at 
hap-hazard,  and  in  many  articles  there  were  dents,  bends,  or 
cracks. 

When  her  mother  had  begun  to  buy  her  daughter's  house- 
hold chattels,  Peter  had  expressed  a  wish  that  in  these  hard 
times  the  money  might  be  laid  by,  and  nothing  bought  that 
was  not  really  necessary;  his  house,  he  said,  was  well  supplied 
with  every  kind  of  furniture,  and  he  wovdd  think  it  a  sin  to 
spend  money  on  even  a  plate.  And  in  point  of  fact  there  was 
nothing  wanting  on  the  shelves  or  in  the  cupboards,  only  she 
had  not  chosen  it  and  brought  it  home  herself — it  was  hers,  no 
doubt,  and  yet  it  was  not  her  very  own;  and  the  worst  of  it 
was  that  her  eyes,  accustomed  to  prettier  and  better  things, 
could  not  be  satisfied  with  these  dull,  scratched  pewter  plates, 
these  coarsely  and  gaudily  painted  jugs,  mugs,  and  cups.  Even 
the  glasses  were  too  thick,  and  not  to  her  mind;  and  as  she 
looked  them  through,  and  selected  what  was  necessary,  she 


THE    BURGOMASTER  S   "WIFE.  93 

could  not  help  thinking  of  other  young  married  women,  her 
friends,  who,  with  eyes  glistening  with  pride  and  satisfaction, 
had  displayed  their  shining  new  pewter  and  glass  as  if  each 
piece  were  an  elaborate  and  precious  work  of  art.  However, 
with  what  she  had  under  her  hand,  she  could  contrive  to  lay 
her  table  prettily  and  neatly. 

Before  dinner  she  had  gone  with  Adrian  to  their  garden  on 
the  town  wall  and  cut  some  flowers,  and  had  gathered  a  bunch 
of  tall  grasses  in  the  fields  outside  the  gates.  These  gifts  of 
the  spring  she  had  arranged  with  care  in  vases,  mingling  them 
with  peacock's  feathers,  and  she  was  pleased  to  see  that  even 
the  clumsiest  jar  acquired  a  graceful  aspect  when  she  had 
wreathed  it  with  creepers.  Adrian  looked  on  in  astonishment; 
it  would  not  have  surprised  him  if  under  her  hand  the  dingy 
dining-room  had  turned  to  a  hall  of  crystal"  and  mother-of- 
pearl. 

Just  as  she  had  done  laying  the  table  Peter  came  in  for  a 
minute.  Before  his  guests  came  he  was  going  to  ride  out  to 
the  Fort  at  Valkenburg,  with  the  Captain  Allertssohn,  Janus 
Dousa,  and  some  others,  to  inspect  the  redoubts.  As  he 
passed  through  the  dining-room  he  waved  his  hand  to  his  wife, 
and,  just  glancing  at  the  table,  he  said: 

"  All  that  set  out  was  quite  unnecessary,  and  above  all  the 
flowers.  We  are  to  meet  for  grave  discussion,  and  you  have 
laid  a  wedding-supper. "  But  then,  seeing  Maria  cast  down 
her  eyes,  he  added,  kindly:  "  But  have  it  so — I  do  not  care," 
and  quitted  the  room. 

Maria  stood  undecided  before  her  handiwork.  Bitter  feel- 
ings were  rising  up  in  her  once  more,  and  she  had  put  out  her 
hand  to  disarrange  one  particularly  pretty  nosegay,  when 
Adrian  looked  up  at  her  with  wide  eyes,  and  said,  in  an  im- 
ploring tone: 

"  No,  mother,  do  not — you  must  not;  it  looks  so  sweet  and 
pretty." 

Maria  smiled  and  stroked  the  lad's  curly  head,  then  she  took 
two  cakes  out  of  a  dish  and  gave  them  to  him. 

"  There,"  she  said,  "  one  for  you  and  the  other  for  Liesa; 
I  will  leave  the  flowers  as  they  are." 

Adrian  ran  off  with  the  sweetmeats,  while  she  looked  at  the 
table  once  more,  and  thought  to  herself: 

"  Peter  never  wants  anything  but  just  what  is  necessary, 
but  that  can  not  be  everything  in  the  world,  or  God  would 
have  made  all  birds  with  gray  feathers." 

She  went  to  help  Barbara  in  the  kitchen,  and  when  all  was 
done  went  into  her  own  room.     There  she  rearranged  her  hair, 


04  the  burgomaster's  wrFE. 

put  a  new  starched  ruff  around  her  throat,  and  a  neatly  plaited 
lack  tucker  in  the  front  of  her  bodice.  Still,  she  kept  on  her 
every -day  dress,  since  her  husband  did  not  wish  that  the  meet- 
ing should  have  any  aspect  of  festivity.  Just  as  she  was  put- 
ting the  last  gold  pin  into  her  hair,  and  was  wondering  whether 
Councilor  van  Bronkhorst — as  representing  the  Prince  of 
Orange — or  the  venerable  Baron  of  Nordwyk  should  fill  the 
place  of  honor  at  table,  Trautchen  knocked  at  her  door,  and 
told  her  that  Dr.  Bontius  wanted  to  speak  to  the  master  on 
business  of  pressing  importance.  The  maid  bad  informed  the 
doctor  that  her  master  had  gone  out  riding,  but  he  would  not 
be  put  off,  and  had  said  that  then  he  would  speak  with  the 
mistress. 

Maria  hastened  to  her  husband's  study;  the  physician 
seemed  in  a  great  hurry.  Instead  of  any  mere  formal  greet- 
ing, he  simply  lifted  the  gold  knob  of  his  cane  to  the  brim  of 
his  hat — without  which  he  never  was  seen,  even  by  the  side  of 
a  sick-bed— and.  asked,  shortly  and  hastily: 

"  When  will  Master  Peter  return?" 

"  In  about  an  hour/'  said  Maria.     "  Take  a  seat,  doctor." 

"  Some  other  time — I  can  not  wait  so  long  for  your  hus- 
band. But,  after  all,  you  might  come  with  me  without  wait- 
ing for  his  consent. " 

"  No  doubt;  but  we  are  expecting  company." 

"  Very  true;  if  I  find  time  I  will  come  in  again;  but  the 
gentlemen  can  get  on  without  me,  while  you  are  absolutely 
indispensable  to  the  jjoor  creature  I  want  you  to  come  to." 

'  But  I  do  not  in  the  least  know  of  whom  you  are  speak- 
ing." 

No?    Well,  to  a  person  who  is  sick  and  suffering,  and 
that  is  enough  for  you  to  know  at  present. " 

"  And  you  think  I  could — " 

"  You  could,  more  than  you  have  any  idea  of.  Barbara 
reigns  in  the  kitchen,  and  besides,  you  ought  to  give  succor  to 
the  sick. " 

"  But,  doctor—" 

"  Make  haste,  I  must  beg  of  you,  for  my  time  is  short.  Will 
you  be  of  use — yes  or  no?" 

The  door  into  the  dining-room  stood  open;  Maria  glanced 
round  at  the  neatly  spread  table,  and  all  the  pleasure  she  had 
hoped  for  this  evening  recurred  to  her  mind.  But  as  the  phy- 
sician turned  to  go,  she  held  him  back  and  said: 

"I  will  come." 

Maria  knew  the  ways  of  this  abrupt  but  perfectly  unselfish 
and  learned  man.     Without  waiting  for  his  answer,  she  ran  to 


THE    BUEGOMASTEE's   WIFE.  95 

fetch  her  kerchief,  and  led  the  way  down-stairs.  As  they 
passed  the  kitchen  the  doctor  called  out  to  Barbara: 

"  Tell  Master  Peter  that  I  have  carried  off  his  wife  to  nurse 
young  Mistress  van  Hoogstraten  in  the  Nobel  Street." 

Maria  could  hardly  keep  up  with  the  doctor's  hasty  strides, 
and  found  it  difficult  to  understand  what  he  said,  as  he  told 
her  in  fragmentary  sentences  that  the  whole  "  brood  of  Clip- 
pers " — the  Hoogstratens — had  left  the  town;  that  the  old 
aunt  was  dead;  that  all  the  servants  had  fled  for  fear  of  the 
plague,  of  which  there  was  not  the  smallest  danger;  and  that 
Henrika  was  left  lying  there  wholly  deserted.  She  had  had  a 
severe  attack  of  fever,  but  now  for  some  days  had  been  steadily 
mending. 

" :  Misfortune, "  said  he,  "has  made  itself  at  home  in  the 
Glippers'  nest.  The  reaper  conferred  a  boon  on  the  old  wom- 
an by  carrying  her  off.  The  French  waiting-woman,  a  feeble 
creature,  held  out  bravely;  but  after  sitting  up  a  few  nights 
she  broke  down,  and  would  have  been  taken  to  St.  Katha- 
rine's Hospital,  but  the  old  Italian  steward,  who  is  not  a  bad 
man,  set  his  face  against  it,  and  had  her  taken  to  the  house  of 
a  Catholic  washerwoman,  where  he  went,  too,  to  take  care  of 
her.  No  one  is  left  in  the  deserted  house  to  attend  to  the 
young  lady  but  Sister  Gonzaga,  a  good  little  nun,  one  of  the 
three  sisters  who  are  allowed  to  remain  as  inmates  of  the  old 
cloister  near  your-  house;  but  the  worthy  old  woman,  as  a 
crowning  misfortune,  this  morning,  while  heating  a  bath, 
scalded  her  hand.  The  Roman  Catholic  priest  has  remained 
unharmed  and  faithful  at  his  post;  but  what  can  he  do  in 
nursing  a  sick  girl?  You  can  see  now  why  I  came  to  fetch 
you.  You  can  not,  and  ought  not,  to  devote  yourself  per- 
manently to  nursing  a  stranger;  but  if  this  young  girl  is  to 
continue  to  improve  without  a  drawback,  she  must  for  the 
present  see  some  face  about  her  to  which  she  may  attach  her- 
self, and  God  has  blessed  you  with  just  such  a  one.  Let  the 
sick  girl  see  you  and  look  at  you;  talk  to  her,  and  if  you  are 
the  woman  I  take  you  for —  But  here  we  are  at  our  journey's 
end." 

The  air  in  the  dimly  lighted  hall  of  the  Hoogstratens  was 
heavy  with  a  strong  musky  odor.  The  doctor  had  announced 
the  old  lady's  death  at  the  town  hall  as  soon  as  it  had  taken 

Elace,  so  an  armed  guard  marched  up  and  down  the  hall  to 
eep  watch,  and  he  informed  the  doctor  that  the  town  clerk, 
Van  Hout,  had  already  been  to  the  house  with  his  subordi- 
nates, and  had  sealed  up  everything. 
As  they  went  up  the  stairs,  Maria  started  and  laid  her  hand 


06  the  burgomaster's  -wife. 

on  her  companion's  arm,  for  through  an  open  door  on  the  first* 
floor  she  saw,  in  the  dim  light,  a  shape,  an  ill-defined  form, 
moving  about  with  strange  gestures — now  here,  now  there, 
first  rising,  and  then  stooping — -and  it  was  with  an  ill-assured 
voice  that  she  inquired  of  the  doctor,  as  she  pointed  to  it  with 
her  finger: 

"  Wnat  is  that?" 

The  doctor,  like  her,  had  stood  still,  and  seeing  the  strange 
form  to  which  she  pointed,  he  himself  started  back  a  step. 
But  the  cool-headed  man  at  once  perceived  the  true  nature  of 
the  bogey  form,  and  going  forward,  he  called  out,  smiling: 

'  What  in  the  world  are  you  doing  there  on  the  ground, 
Father  Daniianus?" 

''lam  scouring  the  boards,"  said  the  priest,  coolly. 

"  What  will  you  do  next?"  said  the  doctor,  indignantly. 

■  You  are  too  good  for  house-maid's  work,  reverend  father; 

besides,  there  is  money  enough  in  this  house  without  any 

owner,  and  to-morrow  we  can  find  as  many  scrubbers  as  we 

can  want." 

"  But  not  to-day,  doctor,  and  the  young  lady  positively  can 
not  remain  any  longer  in  the  room  upstairs.  You  yourself 
prescribed  sleep,  and  Sister  Gonzaga  tells  me  that  there,  with 
the  body  in  the  very  next  room,  she  will  not  close  her  eyes. " 

"  Then  the  lawyer's  servants  might  have  carried  her,  bed 
and  all,  into  the  old  lady's  sitting-room — that  is  a  pretty 
room." 

"  But  that  was  sealed  up,  and  so  were  all  the  other  good 
rooms  on  this  floor.  The  people  from  the  town  hall  were  very 
obliging,  and  they  inquired  for  women  to  scrub,  but  the  poor 
creatures  are  frightened  at  the  plague. " 

"  That  sort  of  panic  grows  like  bind- weed,"  said  the  doctor; 
"  no  one  sows  it,  and  when  once  it  has  taken  root,  who  can 
eradicate  it?" 

"  Xot  you  nor  I,"  answered  the  priest.  "  "Well,  then,  the 
young  lady  must  be  brought  into  this  room;  but  it  looked 
dreadfully  uncomfortable,  so  I  set  to  work  at  once  to  clean  it. 
It  will  be  the  better  for  the  invalid,  and  the  exercise  will  do 
me  no  harm." 

As  he  spoke  the  priest  rose,  and  noticing  Maria,  he  went  on : 

'  You  have  brought  a  new  nurse  for  her?  That  is  well. 
Sister  Gonzaga  needs  no  praise  of  mine,  for  you  know  her 
well;  but  I  am  quite  sure  that  Mistress  Henrika  will  not  en- 
dure her  much  longer  about  her  person;  and  so  far  as  I  am 
concerned,  as  soon  as  the  funeral  is  over  I  must  quit  this 
house." 


THE    BUEOOMASTEK/S    WIFE.  97 

"  You  have  indeed  done  your  part;  but  what  do  you  mean 
with  regard  to  Sister  Gonzaga?"  said  the  doctor,  angrily. 
"  She,  poor  old  thing,  even  with  her  maimed  hand,  is  far  better 
than —    What  can  have  happened?" 

The  priest  came  close  up  to  him,  and  with  a  hasty  side 
glance  at  the  new-comer  he  whispered : 

"But  she  speaks  dreadfully  through  her  nose,  and  the 
young  mistress  told  me  that  she  could  not  bear  to  hear  her 
talk — that  I  was  to  keep  her  out  of  the  way." 

Dr.  Bontius  stood  thoughtful  for  a  moment,  and  then  he 
said : 

"  There  are  eyes  which  can  not  endure  any  bright  light,  and 
so  there  may  likewise  be  certain  tones  which  are  intolerable  to 
an  over-excited  ear.  Now,  dame,  you  have  been  kept  waiting 
too  long.     Please  to  come  with  me. ' ' 

It  was  by  this  time  dark;  the  curtains  had  been  drawn  in  the 
sick-room,  and  a  little  lamp  burning  behind  a  screen  shed  but 
a  feeble  light.  The  doctor  went  up  to  the  bed,  felt  Henrika's 
pulse,  prepared  her  in  a  few  words  to  see  the  stranger  he.  had 
brought  with  him,  and  then  took  the  lamp  to  see  how  his 
patient  was  looking.  Maria  saw  a  pale,  finely  cut  face,  out  of 
which  gazed  a  pair  of  dark  eyes,  that  looked  all  the  larger  and 
brighter  from  contrast  with  the  sick  girl's  hollow  cheeks  and 
pinched  features.  As  the  old  sister  replaced  the  lamp  behind 
the  shade,  the  doctor  said: 

"  Very  good  indeed.  Now,  Sister  Gonzaga,  go  and  lie  down 
and  change  the  bandage  on  your  hand/'  and  he  beckoned  to 
Dame  Maria  to  corns  nearer.  Henrika's  face  touched  Maria 
strangely.  She  was  handsome,  no  doubt,  but  the  large  eyes 
and  firmly  closed  lips  struck  the  young  woman  as  singular 
rather  than  attractive.  However,  she  obeyed  the  physician's 
orders,  went  up  to  the  bedside,  and  said  kindly  that  she  had 
been  glad  to  come  to  keep  her  company  for  a  little  while,  and 
do  anything  she  might  wish.     Henrika  started  up  in  bed. 

"  That  is  well!"  she  exclaimed,  with  a  deep  breath  of  relief. 
"  Thank  you,  doctor;  a  human  voice  again  at  last!  If  you 
wish  to  please  me,  Dame  van  der  Werff,  you  have  only  to  go 
on  talking  to  me — never  mind  what  about.  Please  to  come 
and  sit  down  here.  What  with  Sister  Gonzaga's  nursing,  your 
voice  and  the  doctor's — what  shall  I  call  it? — the  doctor's  en- 
couragement, I  shall  find  no  difficulty  in  being  nursed  into 
sound  health  again. " 

"Very  good,  very  good!"  murmured  the  leech.  '  Our 
worthy  Gonzaga's  burns  are  not  serious,  and  she  will  remain 
with  you;  but  by  and  by;  when  it  is  time  for  you  to  go  to  sleep, 

4 


98  Tin:    burgomaster's  wife. 

you  shall   be  carried  away  from  here.     If  you,  Dame  Maria, 
can  slay  here  for  an  hour,  thai  will  be  enough  for  to-day.     I 

will  go  to  your  house  and  send  the  man  to  fetch  you  with  a 
lantern." 

WImii  the  two  women  were  left  alone,  Maria  said: 
'  You  seem  to  care  very  much  about  the  tone  of  a  voice;  I 
do  so  myself,  indeed  more  than  I  ought,     But   then  I  have 
never  gone  through  a  very  bad  illness — " 

"  This  is  the  first  I  have  ever  had,"  replied  I  Ienrika.  "  But 
now  I  know  how  it  feels  to  be  obliged  to  submit  to  whatever  is 
done  to  you,  whether  you  like  it  or  not,  and  to  feel  twice  as 
acutely  everything  that  one  most  loathes.  It  is  better  to  die 
than  to  live  suffering.'" 

"  Your  aunt  is  dead,"  said  Maria,  in  sympathetic  tones. 
'  Yes,  early  this  morning.     We  had  little  in  common  but 
the  tie  of  blood. " 

"  Are  your  parents  yet  alive?" 

"  Only  my  father;  but  why  do  you  ask?" 

"  He  will  be  glad  to  hear  of  your  recovery.  Doctor  Bontius 
says  you  will  get  perfectly  well." 

'  I  have  no  doubt  of  it,"  said  Henrika,  confidently;  and 
then  she  went  on  in  a  low  voice  to  herself,  not  heeding  Maria: 
'  There  is  one  pleasant  thing  to  look  forward  to.     "When  I  am 
well  again  I  can —    Do  you  love  music?" 

"Yes,  sweet  mistress." 

' '  And  not  for  a  pastime  merely,  but  because  you  feel  that 
you  can  not  live  without  it. " 

'  You  must  keep  quiet,  mistress.     Music!    Yes,  I  believe 
my  life  would  be  much  sadder  than  it  is  without  it." 

"  Do  you  sing?" 

"  1  seldom  have  the  opportunity  here,  but  as  a  girl,  in  Delft, 
we  used  to  sing  every  day. " 

"  You  took  the  first,  of  course?" 

"  Yes,  mistress." 

"  Oh!  leave  out  mistress,  and  call  me  Henrika." 

"  With  all  my  heart,  if  you  will  agree  to  call  me  Maria,  or 
at  any  rate,  Dame  Maria. " 

''  I  will  try.  Do  not  you  think  we  might  practice  a  good 
many  pieces  together?" 

Just  now  Sister  Gonzaga  came  into  the  room  and  announced 
that  the  wife  of  the  receiver-general,  Cornelius  van  "Nierop, 
had  come  to  inquire  whether  she  could  do  the  sick  lady  any 
pleasure  or  service. 

'  What  does  she  mean?"  said  Henrika,  pettishly;  "I  do 
not  know  the  woman," 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE.  99 

"  She  is  the  mother  of  Wilhelm,  the  organist,"  the  young 
woman  explained. 

"  Oh!"  cried  the  girl.  "  May  I  have  her  in,  Maria?"  But 
Maria  shook  her  head,  and  answered  decidedly:  "  No,  Mis- 
tress Henrika;  more  than  one  visitor  at  present  would  not  be 
good  for  you,  and  besides — " 

"  Well!" 

"  She  is  a  kind,  true-hearted  woman,  but  I  am  afraid  her 
rough  ways  and  heavy  step  and  loud  voice  would  do  you  no 
good.     Let  me  go  and  ask  her  what  she  has  come  for. " 

"  Well,  thank  her  kindly,  and  tell  her  to  carry  my  remem- 
brances to  her  son.  I  am  not  generally  so  susceptible — but  I 
see  you  understand  me,  and  such  strong  food,  I  believe,  would 
hardly  be  good  for  me  yet." 

Maria  had  executed  her  commission,  and  had  been  sitting 
for  some  time  longer  with  Henrika,  when  Dame  van  Hout  was 
announced;  her  husband,  who  had  been  present  when  the  seals 
were  put  on  the  doors  and  drawers  in  the  house  of  the  dead, 
had  told  her  of  the  forlorn  position  of  the  sick  girl,  and  she 
had  come  to  see  in  what  way  she  might  perhaps  be  of  use  to 
her. 

"  You  might  see  her,  no  doubt,"  said  Maria,  "  for  you  could 
not  fail  to  like  her;  but  then,  again,  you  have  had  enough  for 
to-day.  Now,  try  to  sleep.  I  will  go  home  with  the  town 
clerk's  wife,  and  I  will  come  again  to-morrow,  and,  if  you 
would  like  it — " 

"  Come;  oh,  yes,  come!"  cried  the  girl.  "But  you  had 
something  else  to  say?" 

"  I  would  make  so  bold,  Mistress  Henrika;  you  ought  not  to 
remain  in  this  dismal  house;  there  is  room  and  to  spare  in 
ours.     Be  our  guest  till  the  baron,  your  father — " 

"  Oh,  yes!  take  me  with  you,"  cried  the  convalescent,  and 
her  eyes  glistened  with  eager  tears;  "  take  me  away  from  this, 
only  take  me  away — I  will  thank  you  as  long  as  I  live!" 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

It  was  many  weeks  since  Maria  had  run  upstairs  with  so  joy- 
ful a  step.  She  could  almost  have  sung  for  joy,  but  she  was 
still  a  little  uneasy,  for  perhaps  her  husband  might  not  quite 
approve  of  her  freedom  in  asking  a  stranger  to  his  house,  still 
more  one  who  was  sick,  and  an  adherent  of  the  Spaniards  to 
boot. 

As  she  passed  the  dining-room  door,  she  heard  the  voices  of 
men  talking  within.     Peter  was  now  speaking;  his  rich,  deep 


100  THE    BUBQ0MASTER,8  "WIFE. 

toues  fell  on  her  ear,  and  she  said  to  herself  that  Henrika  would 
like  to  hear  them.  In  a  few  minutes  she  entered  the  room  to 
welcome  her  husband's  guests,  who  were  also  her  own.  Hap- 
py excitement,  and  her  hasty  walk  in  the  still  mild  air  of  the 
May  evening  following  a  warm  day,  had  colored  her  cheeks; 
and  as  she  went  into  the  room  with  a  modest  and  respectful 
courtesy,  through  which  her  pleasure  at  receiving  such  worthy 
is  was  very  apparent,  she  looked  so  sweet  and  gracious  a 
creature  that  none  of  the  party  could  fail  to  he  attracted  by 
her.  The  elder  Van  der  Does  slapjied  Peter  on  the  shoulder, 
and  then  clapped  his  hands  together,  as  much  as  to  say:  "  You 
have  chosen  well,  my  friend;"  and  Janus,  the  younger,  gayly 
whispered  to  Van  Hout,  who,  like  himself,  was  a  Latin 
scholar: 

"  Oculi  sunt  in  amove  duces." 

Captain  Allertssohn  started  to  his  feet  and  raised  his  hand 
in  military  salute  while  Van  Bronkhorst,  the  prince's  repre- 
sentative, expressed  his  sentiments  in  a  courtly  bow;  Dr. 
Bontius  smiled  with  the  satisfied  look  of  a  man  who  has  suc- 
ceeded in  a  bold  stroke  of  business;  and  Peter,  proud  and 
pleased,  tried  to  attract  his  wife's  attention  to  himself.  In 
this,  however,  he  could  not  succeed,  for  Maria,  perceiving  her- 
self to  be  the  center  of  so  much  observation,  with  a  heightened 
blush  cast  down  her  eyes,  while  she  said,  with  more  decision 
than  could  have  been  expected  from  her  bashful  demeanor: 

"  You  are  heartily  welcome,  gentlemen;  my  greeting  comes 
late,  but  I  assure  you  it  is  from  no  lack  of  good-will  that  I  did 
not  offer  it  earlier. " 

"  I  can  testify  to  that,"  said  Dr.  Bontius,  rising  and  shak- 
ing Maria's  hand  more  warmly  than  he  had  ever  done  before. 
Then,  nodding  to  Peter,  he  said  to  the  assembled  party: 
"  You  will  give  the  burgomaster  leave  of  absence  for  a  min- 
ute or  two?" 

He  withdrew  with  the  couple,  and  no  sooner  were  they  out- 
side the  door  than  he  exclaimed: 

"  You  have  invited  another  guest  into  your  house,  Dame 
van  der  Werff!  Not  another  drop  of  malmsey  will  I  drink  if 
I  have  guessed  wrongly. " 

"  How  did  you  know  that?"  said  Maria,  gayly. 

"  I  can  read  it  in  your  face." 

"  And  the  young  lady  shall  be  heartily  welcome  for  my 
part,"  added  Peter. 

"  How  do  you  know  anything  about  it?"  asked  Maria. 

"  Well,  the  doctor  did  not  keep  his  expectations  hidden  un- 
der a  bushel." 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE.  101 

"It  is  quite  true;  she  is  very  ready  to  come  to  us,  and  to- 
morrow— 

"  To-morrow!  I  will  have  her  brought  here  this  very  even- 
ing/' said  Van  der  Werff. 

'  This  evening!  nay,  it  is  too  late;  by  this  time  perhaps  she 
is  asleep;  these  gentlemen  are  here,  and  our  spare  bed — " 
Maria  broke  off,  looking  doubtfully  and  disapprovingly,  first  at 
the  doctor  and  then  at  her  husband. 

"  Make  yourself  easy,  child,"  said  Peter.  "  The  doctor  has 
already  ordered  a  covered  litter  from  the  hospital;  Jan  and  a 
town  sergeant  will  carry  it;  and  Barbara,  who  has  finished  her 
work  in  the  kitchen,  is  now  actually  arranging  her  own  room 
to  receive  the  sick  girl." 

'  Besides/'  added  the  leech,  "  when  she  is  here  she  will 
probably  be  able  to  sleep  again.  And  her  high-mightiness 
will  infinitely  prefer  to  be  carried  through  the  streets  in  the 
dark,  and  unrecognized." 

"  Yes,  yes/'  said  Maria,  disappointed,  "  that  is  true,  no 
doubt;  but  I  had  intended —  It  is  not  well  to  be  in  too  great 
a  hurry  about  anything. " 

"  But  you  are  glad  to  have  Mistress  Henrika  as  our  guest?" 
asked  Peter. 

"  To  be  sure  1  am." 

'  Then  we  will  take  no  half  measures,  but  do  all  we  can  for 
her,  and  do  it  at  once.  .  There  is  Barbara  beckoning  you.  The 
litter  is  come,  doctor;  go  and  lead  the  procession,  and  God  be 
with  you;  but  do  not  let  us  have  to  wait  for  you  too  long." 

The  burgomaster  returned  to  his  friends,  and  De  Bout  went 
down-stairs.  Maria  followed  him;  in  the  hall  he  laid  his  hand 
on  her  arm,  and  asked  her: 

"  Now,  would  you  like  me  to  tell  you  once  more  what  I 
think  of  you?" 

'  No!"  said  the  young  woman  in  a  half-joking  tone,  through 
which,  however,  the  disappointment  she  felt  could  be  detected. 
"  No!  you  have  taught  me  that  you  are  a  man  quite  capable 
of  marring  some  of  my  greatest  pleasures. " 

'  I  procure  you  others  in  their  place/'  said  the  physician, 
laughing,  as  he  went  down  the  steps. 

The  doctor  was  one  of  Van  der  Werff 's  oldest  friends,  and 
he  had  found  much  to  object  to  in  the  burgomaster's  marriage 
with  a  woman  so  much  younger  than  himself,  and  in  such  evil 
times  as  these;  but  on  this  occasion  he  had  been  fully  satisfied 
with  the  burgomaster's  choice. 

Maria  returned  to  her  guests,  whose  glasses  she  filled,  and 
pledged  them  in  wine,,  ami  she  then  syenl   to  her  sister-in-law's 


102  THE    BUKOOM ASTER'S  WIFE. 

room  to  1h'1|>  to  arrange  everything  for  the  best  for  the  expected 
visitor.  She  did  so  with  a  good  will,  but  she  still  felt  as  if  she 
could  have  set  to  work  with  greater  satisfaction  early  next 
morning. 

Barbara's  large  and  airy  room  looked  out  on  the  court-yard. 
Nothing  could  there  be  heard  of  the  conversation  in  the  din- 
ing-room, and  yet  the  discussion  was  by  no  means  devoid  of 
excitement  among  men  who,  though  the  same  purpose  ani- 
mated them  all,  were  of  ten  disagreed  as  to  the  best  ways  and 
means  of  achieving  a  happy  issue.  There  they  sat,  those  brave 
sons  of  a  narrow  country,  the  stalwart  leaders  of  a  common- 
wealth, poor  alike  in  numbers  and  in  means  of  defense,  but 
which  had  taken  upon  itself  to  defy  the  mightiest  empire  and 
the  most  powerful  armies  of  that  age.  They  knew  full  well 
that  the  clouds  which  for  weeks  had  lowered  in  the  distance 
were  gathering  faster  and  faster,  and  packing  as  they  rose  to 
hurl  a  fearful  tempest  upon  Leyden.  Indeed,  Van  der  Werff 
had  invited  his  colleagues  expressly  because  a  letter  from  the 
prince,  addressed  to  himself  and  to  Van  Bronkhorst,  contained 
the  news  that  King  Philip's  regent  had  communicated  to  the 
Maestro  del  Campo  Valdez  his  majesty's  commands  that  Ley- 
den should  be  a  second  time  invested  and  reduced  to  subjec- 
tion. They  knew  that  William  of  Orange  could  not  collect  an 
army  in  less  than  a  month  at  soonest,  and  bring  it  up  to 
divert  the  besieging  forces  or  to  relieve  the  town;  they  had 
already  learned  how  little  they  could  count  on  the  Queen  of 
England  and  the  Protestant  princes  of  Germany,  and  the  ap- 
palling fate  of  the  neighboring  town  of  Haarlem — a  stronger 
place  than  Leyden — rose  as  a  ghastly  warning  before  their 
eyes.  Still,  they  were  conscious  of  suffering  in  a  noble  cause: 
they  trusted  confidently  in  the  prince's  good  faith,  heroism, 
and  statecraft;  they  were  ready  to  die  rather  than  to  sell  them- 
selves body  and  soul  to  the  Spanish  tyrant.  Their  faith,  too, 
was  strong  and  deep  in  the  justice  of  God,  and  each  felt  a 
cheerful  confidence  in  his  own  stanch  manliness. 

And  verily  the  men  who  sat  round  that  table,  which  a  wom- 
an's hand  had  graciously  decked  with  flowers,  who  proved  so 
valiant  in  em]:>tying  the  cajmcious  glasses  with  heavy  knobs  on 
their  ringed  stems,  that  jar  after  jar  of  Van  der  Werff's 
malmsey  and  Rhine  wine  came  up  from  the  cellar  depths — the 
men  who  hewed  breaches  in  the  towering  pastries  and  sub- 
stantial joints,  more  juicy  and  nutritious  than  any  other  past- 
ures can  produce — these  men  did  not  look  as  if  pale  terror  had 
brought  them  together. 

A  hat  is  the  badge  of  liberty,  and  a  free  man  keeps  his  hat 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE.  103 

OH;  so  the  burgomaster's  guests  sat  at  table  with  their  heads 
covered:  and  how  becoming  to  the  venerable  Lord  of  Nor- 
dwyk,  with  his  hale,  fresh  face,  and  to  the  shrewd  and  thought- 
ful countenance  of  his  nephew,  Janus  Dousa,  were  their  tall, 
plaited  bonnets  of  dark-red  velvet,  with  a  thick  curled  feather 
trimming;  how  handsome  Jan  van  Duivenvoorde,  the  young 
Seigneur  of  Warmond,  looked  with  his  waving  locks  beneath 
his  broad-brimmed  hat,  in  which  there  waved  a  blue  and 
orange  ostrich  plume — the  colors  of  the  prince!  How  full  of 
health  and  of  character  were  the  faces  collected  round  the 
table!  Hardly  one  was  devoid  of  a  fresh,  bright  color;  and 
robust  vitality,  clear,  good  sense,  immovable  resolve,  and  iron 
tenacity  spoke  in  many  a  blue  eye.  Even  the  members  of 
the  Council,  in  their  black  dress,  and  who  were  well  suited  in 
their  plaited  ruffs  or  their  smooth  white  neckcloths,  did  not 
look  as  if  the  dust  of  archives  had  dulled  their  vigor,  while  the 
mustache  of  one  and  the  square  or  flowing  beard  of  another 
gave  them  a  manly  aspect.  Each  was  cheerfully  ready  to 
sacrifice  himself  and  all  he  owned  for  a  supreme  moral  gain, 
and  yet  each  looked  as  though  his  foothold  on  life  were  stead- 
fast and  sure;  there  was  no  sign  of  over-exaltation  in  those 
wise  and  gravely  thoughtful  faces;  a  trace  of  it  perhaps 
sparkled  in  the  eyes  of  the  young  Lord  of  Warmond,  and 
Janus  Dousa' s  gaze  now  and  then  had  an  absorbed  look,  as  if 
turned  inward  to  seek  some  hidden  vein  of  thought,  and  in 
such  moments  his  sharply  cut  but  irregular  features  acquired 
a  singular  charm. 

The  ponderous  and  overstout  person  of  Van  Bronkhorst 
usurped  a  large  space;  his  body  was  indeed  unwieldy  to  move, 
but  in  his  round,  closely  cropped  head  sparkled  a  pair  of 
prominent  eyes,  which  announced  indomitable  obstinacy  of 
purpose. 

The  brightly  lighted  table  round  which  such  a  noble  hand- 
ful had  met  offered  a  gay  and  handsome  show.  The  yellow 
buff  jerkins  worn  by  the  Baron  van  Warmond,  by  Mulder,  the 
colonel,  and  by  Allertssohn,  the  captain  of  the  town  forces, 
and  the  gay  hues  of  the  silk  scarfs  they  tied  across  them,  with 
the  bright  red  coat  of  brave  Dirk  Smaling,  stood  out  in  pleas- 
ing contrast  to  the  black  garments  of  Parson  Verstroot,  of  the 
burgomaster  himself,  of  the  town  clerk,  and  of  their  fellow- 
councilors.  The  purple  suit  of  the  prince's  envoy,  and  the 
dark  tints  of  the  fur-trimmed  cloaks  worn  by  the  Seigneurs  of 
Nordwyk  and  Montfoort  blended  agreeably  and  harmoniously 
with  the  lighter  and  darker  hues.  All  that  was  sad  or  gloomy 
seemed  banished  far  enough  from  this  motley-colored  and  ani- 


104  THE    IU'ROOMA.-TKIj's   WIFE. 

mated  assembly;  their  speech  was  free  and  eager,  and  tli 

Voices  were  steady  and  deep. 

I  mi  i  the  peril  was  already  at  their  gates.  Every  day  might 
bring  the  Spaniards  down  upon  Leyden.  Many  preparations 
had  already  been  made;  the  outworks  of  Alfen  and  the  sluices 
of  Gouda  were  defended  by  their  English  allies;  the  fort  of 
Yalkenburg  had  been  strengthened  and  garrisoned  by  British 
soldiers;  the  town  forces,  the  municipal  watch,  and  the  vol- 
unteers were  ail  efficiently  drilled.  They  did  not  wish  to  have 
any  foreign  troops  inside  the  town  walls,  for  during  the  last 
Biege  they  had  been  more  of  a  burden  than  a  help,  and  a 
storming  of  the  town,  protected' as  it  was  by  moat,  ramparts, 
and  bastions,  was  hardly  to  be  feared. 

What  at  this  moment  agitated  the  assembly  most  was  a  re- 
port brought  to  them  by  the  town  clerk.  The  wealthy  Baers- 
dorp,  one  of  the  four  burgomasters  of  the  town,  and  the 
greatest  corn  dealer  in  Leyden,  had  undertaken  to  purchase 
for  the  authorities  a  very  considerable  quantity  of  bread-stuffs. 
Several  ship-loads  of  wheat  and  rye  had  been  delivered  by  him 
on  the  previous  day,  but  a  quarter  of  the  supplies  ordered  by 
him  was  still  lacking.  He  frankly  confessed  that  he  had  given 
no  definite  and  final  order  for  them,  because  he  was  ex])ecting 
a  fall  in  the  price  of  corn  in  the  Eotterdam  and  Amsterdam 
markets,  the  prosjDects  of  the  harvest  being  particularly 
favorable,  thinking,  too,  there  would  still  be  some  weeks  to 
spare  before  the  town  was  again  invaded. 

Van  Hout  was  furious,  but  two  of  the  four  burgomasters  de- 
fended their  colleague  Baersdorp.  The  old  Herr  van  Nordwyk 
agreed  with  the  town  clerk. 

"  With  all  due  respect  to  your  office,  Master  Peter,"  he  ex- 
claimed, "  your  three  colleagues  are  of  that  kind  of  friends  to 
whom  an  open  foe  is  far  preferable." 

"  The  Herr  van  Noyelles,"  interrupted  Mulder,  "  wrote  in 
his  time  to  the  prince  himself  a  good  and  true  word  when  lie 
said  that  such  men  were  only  fit  for  the  gallows. " 

"  And  the  gallows  for  them,"  added  Allertssohn,  "  so  long 
as  hempen  rope  and  a  traitor's  neck  are  made  for  each  other." 

"  Traitors!  nay,"  said  Van  der  Werff,  decidedly.  "  Call 
them  dastardly  if  you  will — say  they  are  greedy  and  mean- 
but  none  of  them  is  a  Judas." 

"  You  are  right,  Master  Peter,  for  that  they  are  not,  and 
perhaps  even  cowardice  has  no  part  in  their  conduct,"  said 
the  elder  Van  der  Does.  "  Any  one  who  has  eyes  to  see  and 
ears  to  hear,  knows  how  the  feeling  tends  among  the  men  of 
the  old  city  families,  who  were  held  over  the  font  with  the  idea 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE.  105 

that  they  must  be  future  councilors;  and  I  am  not  speaking 
of  the  Leyden  men  alone,  but  of  those  of  Delft  and  Gouda,  of 
Rotterdam  and  Dortrecht.  Sixty  out  of  every  hundred  bend 
with  a  good  grace  to  Spanish  tyranny,  renouncing  even  their 
liberty  of  conscience,  so  long  as  their  personal  freedom  and 
rights  are  guaranteed  to  them.  "Whether  in  church  sermons 
are  preached  or  masses  chanted — whether  they  are  governed 
by  a  Dutchman  or  a  Spaniard — are  secondary  considerations. 
Of  course,  I  except  those  who  are  present;  you,  my  masters, 
would  not  be  here  if  you  were  like-minded  with  those  of  whom 
I  speak." 

Thank  you  for  that  exception,"  said  Dirk  Smaling;  "  but, 
with  all  respect  for  your  judgment,  you  have  painted  them 
with  dark  colors.  May  I  ask  you,  now,  does  not  the  nobility 
cling  to  its  rights  and  liberties?" 

"  Undoubtedly,  Master  Dirk,  though  they  commonly  date 
from  an  earlier  time  than  yours,"  answered  the  other.  "  But, 
you  see,  the  noble  needs  a  sovereign ;  he  is  an  extinct  star  when 
the  sun  that  lends  him  light  does  not  shine  upon  him.  I,  and 
all  the  nobles  who  with  me  have  sworn  allegiance  to  the  Prince 
of  Orange,  feel  that  he  and  none  other  must  be  our  cen- 
tral sun — he  who  is  one  of  us,  who  knows  us,  loves  us,  and 
understands  us;  not  Philip,  who  knows  nothing  of  our  minds 
and  manners,  who  is  a  stranger  in  the  land,  and  who  abhors 
us.  We  will  uphold  William  with  life  and  land,  for,  as  I  have 
said,  we  need  a  sun — that  is  to  say,  a  monarch.  But  the  towns 
think  that  they  can  shine  by  their  own  light,  and  are  in  them- 
selves stars  to  the  world.  They  feel,  no  doubt,  that  in  these 
evil  days  of  warfare  they  need  a  leader,  and  that  they  can  find 
none  better,  wiser,  or  more  trustworthy  than  Orange;  but  if 
it  should  come  to  pass — and  God  grant  it  may — that  the 
Spanish  yoke  should  be  broken,  then  even  great  William's  rule 
will  seem  burdensome  and  oppressive,  for  they  themselves  too 
greatly  relish  the  game  of  governing.  To  put  it  shortly,  the 
towns  endure  a  monarch,  the  nobles  gather  round  him  and  de- 
mand him.  No  good  issue  can  come  of  it  until  nobles,  citi- 
zens, and  peasants  alike  learn  to  yield  to  him,  and  combine 
to  fight  under  his  captaincy  for  the  chief  blessings  of  life. " 

"  Very  true,"  said  Van  Hout.  "  The  well-affected  nobles, 
both  here  and  in  the  other  towns,  may  set  the  example;  but 
the  people — the  poor  and  laboring  population — who  knew  well 
enough,  too,  what  it  must  cost  them — who  have,  thank  God, 
not  yet  lost  their  strong  love  for  what  you  call  the  chief  bless- 
ings of  life — they  only  ask  to  be  and  to  remain  Dutch;  they 
curse  the  Spanish  butchers  with  genuine  hatred;  they  insist  on 


106  THE    BURGOMASTER'S    V\'TFE. 

Berving  God  as  their  spirit  prompts  them,  and  on  believing 
what  their  heart  dictates;  they  call  the  prince  their  Father 
William.  Wait  awhile.  As  soon  as  necessity  presses,  the  poor 
and  bumble  will  stand  firm,  when  the  great  and  wealthy  trem- 
ble and  fall  away  and  deny  the  good  cause." 

••  They  are  to  be  trusted,"  said  Van  der  Werff — "im- 
plicitly trusted." 

"  And  knowing  them  as  I  do,"  cried  Van  Hout,  "  come 
what  may,  we  shall  tide  through  it  by  God's  help." 

Janus  Dousa  sat  looking  into  his  glass.  Now,  throwing  his 
head  back,  he  said,  with  a  hasty  movement  of  his  hand : 

'  It  is  strange  that  these  men,  who  fight  a  hand-to-hand 
battle  with  life,  and  whose  uneducated  minds  move  only  in  the 
groove  traced  by  each  day's  needs,  are  the  readiest  to  sacrifice 
their  little  all  for  spiritual  blessings." 

"  True,"  said  the  minister;  "  '  Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit, 
for  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven.'  It  is  wonderful  to  see 
how  the  poor  and  unlearned  are  able  to  value  the  blessings  of 
faith,  freedom,  and  fatherland  more  highly  than  the  vain 
goods  of  this  world — the  golden  calf  round  which  the  nations 
crowd  to  worship." 

"  Well,  the  men  of  my  standing  are  not  being  flattered  this 
evening,"  said  Dirk  Smaling,  "  but  I  would  ask  you  to  con- 
sider this  point  in  our  favor.  We  are  playing  a  dangerous 
game  for  high  stakes;  and  those  who  possess  most  put  the  lion's 
share  into  the  pool." 

"  Not  so,"  interrupted  Van  Hout.  "  The  highest  stake 
that  any  of  us  can  risk  on  the  throw  of  the  dice  is  life,  and  that 
is  equally  dear  to  both  rich  and  poor.  There  are  those  who  will 
hesitate  to  risk  it — I  will  wager  that  I  know  them.  They  have 
no  simple  motto  or  humble  sign  over  their  door,  but  a  haughty 
coat  of  arms.     Wait  a  little  while  and  we  shall  see." 

"  Wait  and  we  shall  see,"  said  Van  der  Werff;  "  but  at  this 
moment  there  are  more  pressing  things  to  attend  to.  The  day 
after  to-morrow  is  Ascension-day,  and  the  great  yearly  fair 
will  begin.  Yesterday  and  the  day  before,  more  than  one 
stranger  with  merchandise  and  peddler  with  his  pack  passed 
through  our  gates.  Now,  shall  we  allow  the  booths  to  be 
erected,  or  put  off  the  fair  till  another  time?  If  the  enemy 
sweeps  down  upon  us,  there  will  be  terrible  confusion,  and  we 
may  perhaps  throw  a  valuable  booty  into  his  hands.  I  ask 
your  opinion,  masters  all." 

"  We  ought  to  protect  the  traders,  and  put  off  the  fair," 
said  Dirk  van  Montfoort. 

"  Nay,  my  lord,"  said  Van  Hout,  "  for  if  we  forbid  it  wq 


She  btjrgom aster's  wife.  10? 

deprive  the  smaller  dealers  of  their  little  profits,  and  so  damp 
their  spirits  beforehand." 

"  Let  them  have  their  festival,"  cried  Janus  Dousa.  "  We 
ought  not  to  pay  the  coming  misery  the  compliment  of  cloud- 
ing the  happy  present  by  anticipating  it.  If  you  want  to  be 
wise,  follow  the  counsels  of  my  Horace." 

"  '  Sufficient  to  the  day  is  the  evil  thereof/  saith  the  Script- 
ure," added  the  parson;  and  Allertssohn  exclaimed: 

"By  Heaven!  yes,  my  soldiers  and  the  town  watch  and 
militia  must  have  their  procession  round  the  town.  In  full 
glory  of  arms  and  armor,  too,  when  bright  eyes  smile  at  them, 
old  folks  greet  them,  and  children  shout  and  run  in  front  of 
them — that  is  when  a  soldier  first  learns  to  pride  himself  on 
the  trade  of  arms. " 

So  it  was  decided  to  let  the  yearly  market  take  place. 

While  these  and  other  questions  were  being  decided  in  earnest 
conclave,  Henrika  had  been  comfortably  and  affectionately  in- 
stalled in  Barbara's  pretty  room.  When  she  was  asleep,  Maria 
once  more  went  to  see  her  guests;  but  she  did  not  now  join 
them  at  table,  for  by  this  time  their  faces  were  heated,  and 
they  no  longer  spoke  in  order,  each  in  his  turn,  but  each  ad- 
dressed the  other  confusedly,  saying  just  what  came  first.  Van 
der  Werff  was  talking  to  Van  Hout  and  the  envoy  as  to  the 
corn  to  be  brought  into  the  town;  Janus  Dousa  and  the  Seign- 
eur of  Warmond  were  discussing  a  poem  which  Van  Hout 
had  recited  at  the  last  meeting  of  the  literary  society  of  the 
Eederyke;  the  elder  Van  der  Does  was  disputing  with  the 
minister  over  the  new  church  practices;  and  the  brawny  cap- 
tain— in  front  of  whom  stood  a  vast  drinking-horn  that  he  had 
drained  to  the  last  drop — had  leaned  his  forehead  on  Mulder's 
shoulder,  and,  as  was  his  custom  when  wine  had  made  him 
happy,  shed  a  flood  of  bitter  tears. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

On  the  following  day,  after  the  sitting  of  the  council,  Burgo- 
master van  der  Werff,  Mr.  Secretary  van  Hout,  and  a  notary 
with  two  clerks,  proceeded  to  the  house  in  the  Nobel  Street, 
to  settle  matters  as  to  the  property  of  old  Mistress  van  Hoog- 
straten.  The  elders  of  the  town  had  decided  to  confiscate  the 
deserted  dwelling  of  the  traitorous  Glippers,  and  to  apply  the 
wealth  it  might  contain  to  the  uses  of  the  common  cause. 
The  old  lady's  antagonistic  sentiments  were  well  known,  and 
as  her  nearest  relatives,  the  Barons  van  Hoogstraten  and  Mate- 
nesse  van  Wibisma,  had  been  outlawed  from  Leyden,  the  town 


108  THE    BTTROOMASTEtt's  WIFE. 

had  every  right  to  administer  the  inheritance.  It  was  quite  to 
be  expected  that  none  but  acknowledged  (nippers  would  be 
mentioned  in  the  will  of  the  deceased,  and  if  this  should  prove 
to  be  the  case,  the  municipality  would  use  the  capital  and 
estates,  spending  the  interest  until  such  time  as  the  runagates 
miirht  be  brought  to  a  better  mind,  and  the  authorities  feel 
just itied  by  their  conduct  in  opening  the  city  gates  to  them 
once  more.  Such  of  them  as  even  then  persisted  in  adhering 
to  the  Spaniards,  and  setting  themselves  against  the  cause  of 
liberty,  would  sacrifice  their  share  of  the  inheritance  to  the 
town  forever.  Such  a  procedure  was  nothing  new,  and  King 
Philip  had  learned  to  practice  it  to  his  own  benefit;  for  not 
only  had  the  property  of  innumerable  innocent  and  expatriated 
citizens,  or  voluntary  exiles  for  the  new  form  of  faith  been 
confiscated  to  his  advantage,  but  even  the  possessions  of  many 
a  good  Catholic  patriot.  To  men  who  had  so  long  suffered  as 
the  anvil,  it  was  a  pleasant  change  to  play  the  hammer:  and 
if  they  did  not  always  then  show  themselves  moderate  and 
dignified,  they  had  the  excuse  of  having  suffered  treatment  a 
hundred  times  more  rigorous  and  cruel  at  the  hands  of  the 
Spaniards.  It  would  have  been  unchristian  to  repay  evil  with 
equal  evil;  but  hard  blows  were  dealt,  though  only  in  return, 
it  is  true,  for  more  deadly  strokes,  and  the  Glippers  were  not 
wantonly  murdered. 

At  the  door  of  the  house  of  death  the  members  of  the  town 
council  found  Wilhelm  Cornell  ussohn  and  his  mother,  who  had 
come  once  more  to  offer  Henrika  a  friendly  reception  and 
shelter  in  their  home.  The  worthy  wife  of  the  receiver-gen- 
eral, who  at  first  had  refused  to  extend  any  neighborly  love  to 
the  Clipper's  daughter,  now  was  much  aggrieved,  when  she 
had  come  on  pious  acts  intent,  to  have  missed  the  opportunity, 
and  expressed  her  feelings  to  that  effect  in  her  own  rough 
fashion. 

In  the  hall  stood  Belotti,  no  longer  in  the  splendor  of  silk 
hose  and  the  satin-bordered  cloth  doublet  of  the  house-steward, 
but  in  the  plain  dark  dress  of  a  citizen.  He  had  told  the 
musician  and  Peter  that  for  the  present  he  should  remain  in 
Leyden,  as  he  could  not  reconcile  it  to  his  conscience  to  desert 
the  sick  waiting- woman  Denise  at  such  a  pinch;  but  other 
things  contributed  to  detain  him,  and  above  all — though  he 
could  not  bear  to  confess  it — the  feeling,  confirmed  by  the 
habits  of  years,  of  inseparable  connection  with  the  house  of 
Hoogstraten.  That  his  account-books  were  in  good  order,  the 
charge  d'affaires  had  duly  certified,  and  had  readily  paid  him 
his  dues.     His  savings  were  safely  laid  out,  and  as  he  had 


THE  burgomaster's  wipe.  109 

always  been  temperate,  and  had  never  touched  the  interest,  \h 
had  accumulated  with  the  capital  to  a  handsome  round  sum. 
Nothing  really  held  him  to  Leyden,  but  he  felt  he  could  not 
quit  it  till  all  had  been  finally  wound  up  in  the  house  over 
which  he  had  ruled  so  long. 

Every  day  he  had  inquired  after  the  health  of  the  two  ladies, 
and  after  the  death  of  his  mistress,  although  Denise  was  by 
this  time  mending,  he  lingered  in  Leyden,  regarding  it  as  his 
duty  to  pay  her  the  last  honors  at  her  funeral. 

The  town  officials  were  well  pleased  to  find  Belotti  on  the 
spot.  The  notary  had  managed  his  little  money  matters  for 
him  for  some  time,  and  esteemed  him  as  a  thoroughly  honest 
man;  and  he  now  desired  him  to  serve  as  a  guide  to  himself 
and  his  fellow  officials.  It  was  first  of  all  necessary  that  they 
should  find  the  old  lady's  will;  it  was  certain  that  such  a  docu- 
ment must  exist,  for  it  had  been  in  the  notary's  keeping  up  to 
the  day  following  Henrika's  first  attack  of  fever,  when  the  old 
lady,  wishing  to  make  some  alterations  in  it,  had  asked  for  it 
back.  He  could  give  no  information  as  to  its  contents,  for  it 
was  not  himself  but  his  senior,  who  was  dead,  and  whose  busi- 
ness he  had  inherited,  who  had  drawn  up  the  document. 

The  steward  led  the  gentlemen  first  through  the  dwelling- 
rooms  and  bis  mistress's  little  sitting-room,  but  though  the 
desks,  chests  and  cupboards  were  thoroughly  searched,  and 
they  came  upon  letters,  money,  and  valuables  in  numerous 
drawers  and  boxes,  no  will  was  found. 

The  men  of  law  were  of  ojjinion  that  it  might  have  been  laid 
by  in  some  secret  drawer,  and  sent  one  of  the  clerks  off  to  fetch 
a  locksmith.  Belotti  let  him  go,  but  he  was  listening  attent- 
ively the  while  to  the  low  chant  which  fell  upon  his  ear  from 
his  mistress's  bedroom,  where  her  body  was  still  lying.  That, 
he  knew,  was  the  j)lace  where  the  will  was  most  likely  to  be 
found,  but  he  was,  above  all,  anxious  to  have  the  priests  un- 
disturbed in  their  office  of  prayer  for  his  dead  mistress.  As 
soon  as  all  was  silent  again  he  bade  the  gentlemen  follow  him. 
The  lofty  room  with  a  coved  ceiling  into  which  he  led  them 
was  full  of  incense.  At  the  further  end  of  it  stood  a  large  bed- 
stead, above  which  a  sort  of  tent  of  embroidered  silk  curtains 
rose  as  high  as  the  ceiling;  in  the  middle  of  the  room  was  the 
bier  on  which  lay  the  deceased  lady,  her  face  covered  with  a 
linen  handkerchief  trimmed  with  lace.  Her  slender  but  still 
plump  hands  were  folded  on  her  breast;  between  them  was  a 
much-worn  rosary.  A  handsome  coverlid  concealed  all  her 
person,  and  on  the  middle  of  it  lay  a  crucifix  finely  carved  in 
ivory. 


110  THE    BUfeQOiJASTER*S   WIPE. 

The  visitors  bowed  in  silence  before  the  corpse  as  they  and 
Belotti  went  closer,  but  at  the  sight  of  his  padrona's  hands,  so 
long  familiar  to  him,  the  poor  old  man's  heart  seemed  to  burst 
in  a  convulsive  sob.  He  knelt  down  by  the  bier  and  pressed  his 
lips  to  i  lir  cold,  white  fingers,  while  a  warm  tear — the  only  tear 
sh<d  over  this  woman's  death — fell  on  the  hands  now  forever 
clinched  and  still.  The  burgomaster  and  his  companions  did 
not  disturb  him,  but  left  him  to  press  his  brow  to  the  wooden 
coffin  and  put  ujd  a  short  and  silent  prayer.  When  he  bad 
risen,  and  when  an  elderly  priest  in  canonicals  had  left  the 
room,  Father  Damianus  signed  to  an  acolyte  who  was  standing 
with  him  in  the  background,  and  they,  with  Belotti's  help, 
laid  the  lid  upon  the  coffin.  Then  the  priest  said,  turning  to 
Van  der  WerfiE: 

"  We  propose  to  carry  the  mistress  to  her  grave  at  midnight, 
bo  that  no  scandal  may  arise." 

"That  is  well/' replied  the  burgomaster.  "And,  come 
what  may,  you  may  be  sure  we  shall  not  ex]Del  you  from  the 
town.     If,  indeed,  you  prefer  to  join  the  Spaniards — " 

But  Damianus  shook  his  head. 

"No,  master,"  he  interrupted,  decidedly;  "  I  was  born  in 
Utrecht,  and  I  pray  earnestly  for  the  freedom  of  Holland." 

"  Good,  good!"  cried  the  town  clerk.  "That  is  a  good 
word  —  an  admirable  word.  Give  me  your  hand,  Master 
Priest." 

"  With  all  my  heart;  and  so  long  as  your  motto  '  Hcec  liber- 
tat  is  ergo  '  does  not  degenerate  into  '  Hcec  religionis  ergo,'  I 
shall  never  change  that  word." 

"  A  free  country  and  liberty  of  conscience  for  all,  including 
you  and  yours,"  said  the  burgomaster — "  that  is  what  we  aim 
at.  Doctor  Bontius  has  spoken  of  you  to  me,  reverend  sir; 
you  cared  bravely  for  the  dead  who  lies  here.  Bury  her  after 
the  manner  of  your  Church;  we  have  come  to  administer  the 
worldly  possessions  she  has  left  behind  her.  This  little  coffer 
perhaps  contains  her  will." 

"  IS'o,  master,"  replied  the  priest.  "  When  she  first  fell  ill 
she  opened  the  sealed  document  in  my  presence,  and  now  and 
then,  as  she  felt  better,  added  a  few  lines  to  it.  An  hour  be- 
fore she  died  she  desired  that  the  notary  should  be  fetched,  but 
before  it  could  be  done  she  was  gone.  I  could  not  stay  con- 
stantly with  the  corpse,  so  I  laid  the  deed  in  the  linen  chest,' 
here  is  the  key." 

The  will  was  at  once  found.  The  burgomaster  calmly 
opened  it  and  read  it  aloud,  while  the  notary  and  the  town 
clerk  looked  over  his  shoulder.     The  property  was  to  be  divided 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE."  Ill 

between  certain  churches  and  convents — in  which  masses  were 
to  be  said  for  the  soul  of  the  testatrix — and  her  nearest  rela- 
tives; Belotti  and  Denise  were  remembered  with  small  legacies. 

"As  it  happens/'  cried  Van  Hout,  "this  document  is  a 
mere  sheet  of  waste-paper." 

"It  is  of  no  value  whatever/'  added  the  notary,  "  since  it 
was  removed  from  my  keeping  for  the  declared  purpose  of  be- 
ing altered  and  nullified.  But  turn  the  sheet  over,  Master 
Peter.  Here,  on  the  back,  there  is  a  great  deal  more  to 
read." 

The  task  before  them  was  not  a  light  one,  for  the  sick  wom- 
an had  scribbled  short  notes  all  over  the  blank  side  of  the 
paper,  above  and  below,  here  and  there,  memoranda,  as  it 
seemed,  for  the  drawing  up  of  a  fresh  will.  -Quite  at  the  top 
her  trembling  hand  had  drawn  a  cross,  and  beneath  it  the 
words,  "  Pray  for  us!     Our  holy  Church  is  all  in  all." 

Lower  down  was  written  "  Nico.  I  like  the  lad.  The  cas- 
tle on  the  Dunes.  Ten  thousand  gold  gulden  in  money.  To 
be  settled  on  him  alone.  His  father  is  not  to  touch  it.  Ex- 
plain clearly  why  he  is  disinherited.  Van  Vliet  of  Haarlem 
was  the  man  whose  daughter  my  cousin  had  privately  married 
and  deserted,  under  miserable  pretenses,  to  marry  another 
woman.  Though  he  may  have  forgotten  it,  it  remains  in  my 
memory,  and  I  wish  him  joy  of  it.  Nico  must  maik  it  well; 
false  love  is  poison.  It  has  spoiled  my  life — spoiled  it  ut- 
terly." 

The  word  "  spoiled  "  was  written  again  and  again,  many 
times,  and  the  last  time,  to  finish  the  sentence,  the  sick  wom- 
an had  flourished  her  pen  round  it  in  curls  and  spirals.  Down 
the  right  margin  of  the  sheet  were  a  series  of  short  memo- 
randa. 

;'  Anna,  ten  thousand  gulden.  Settled  on  her,  or  they  will 
fall  into  the  hand  of  that  bird  of  prey,  D'Avila. 

"  Henri ka  three  times  as  much.  Her  father  may  pay  it  out 
of  what  he  owes  me.  Where  he  gets  it  is  his  affair.  That 
will  square  accounts  between  us. 

"  Belotti  has  behaved  badly.     He  is  passed  over. 

"  Denise  may  have  what  I  intended  for  her." 

Then,  in  the  middle  of  the  sheet,  was  written  in  a  large 
hand  this  sentence,  with  a  sort  of  frame  of  double  and  treble 
strokes: 

'  The  ebony  casket  with  the  arms  of  Hoogstraten  and 
D'Avila  on  the  top  is  to  be  sent  to  the  widow  of  the  Marquis 
d'Avennes.  She  is  to  be  found  at  Chateau  Rochebrun,  in 
Normandy." 


112  THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE. 

The  three  men  who  had  deciphered  these  notes  looked  at 
each  other  in  silence,  till  Van  Ilout  exclaimed: 

"  What  a  wild  compound  of  spite  and  of  womanly  weak- 
ness! However  hard  and  cold  woman's  heart  may  seem,  still 
you  will  always  find  frost  flowers  if  no  other  blossom  blows 
there." 

• "  I  am  sorry  for  young  Mistress  van  Hoogstratcn,  who  is  now 
at  your  house,  Master  Peter,"  said  the  notary.  "  It  would 
be  easier  to  strike  fire  out  of  rye-bread  than  to  wring  such  a 
sum  from  that  old  ne'er-do-weel,  the  baron.  The  daughter 
comes  off  badly  for  the  father's  sake — that  I  call  true  parental 
conduct." 

"  And  what  may  there  be  in  the  ebony  casket?"  asked  the 
notary. 

"  There  it  stands,"  said  Van  Hout.  "Hand  it  over,  Be- 
lotti." 

'  We  must  open  it,"  said  the  lawyer,  "  for  perhaps  she  was 
trying  to  send  her  best  things  out  of  the  country." 

'  Open  it,  against  the  express  wishes  of  the  deceased?" 
asked  Van  der  Werff. 

"  Certainly,"  cried  the  notary.  "  We  were  sent  here  to 
take  information  as  to  the  property  she  has  left.  The  lid  is 
locked  down.  Take  a  pick-lock,  master:  that  will  soon  open 
it." 

But  the  jrienipotentiaries  found  no  valuables  in  the  box — 
nothing  but  letters  of  various  dates;  and  these  were  not  many. 
Those  at  the  bottom — old  and  very  yellow — contained  j)rotesta- 
tions  of  love  from  the  Marquis  d'Avennes;  the  later  ones  were 
short,  and  signed  Don  Luis  d'Avila.  Van  Hout,  wdio  under- 
stood the  Castilian  Spanish  in  which  they  were  written,  read 
them  hastily  through.  As  he  came  to  the  end,  he  exclaimed, 
in  wrathful  excitement: 

'  Here  we  have  the  key  to  a  piece  of  foul  play!  Do  you  re- 
member the  attention  that  was  excited  four  years  ago  by  a  duel 
in  which  the  Marquis  d'Avennes  fell  a  victim  to  a  Spanish 
ruffian?  In  this  letter  the  miserable  braggart  writes — but  it  is 
worth  while  to  translate  it  to  you.  The  first  part  of  the  note 
is  of  no  importance,  but  here  it  begins:  'And  since  I  have 
now  been  so  hapj)y  as  to  cross  swords  with  the  marquis  and  to 
kill  him — not  without  joeril  of  my  own  life — a  fate  which  he 
seems  to  have  richly  deserved  since  he  had  so  greatly  incurred 
your  displeasure,  the  conditions  you  imposed  upon  me  are  sat- 
isfied, and  1  hope  to-morrow  to  receive  from  your  favor  my 
sweet  reward.  Tell  Donna  Anna,  my  adored  bride,  that  as 
early  as  possible  to-morrow  morning  I  wdl  lead  her  to  the 


THE    BUKGOMASTEB'S    WIFE.  113 

altar,  for  the  D'Avennes  are  an  influential  family,  and  my  life 
will  hardly  be  safe  even  to-morrow.  For  the  rest,  I  hope  I 
may  count  on  the  good  feeling  and  generosity  of  my  gracious 
friend.'" 

Van  Hout  tossed  the  paper  on  to  the  table.  '  Look, "  he 
said,  "  what  a  pretty  hand  the  villain  writes!  And,  by  God! 
the  lady  to  whom  this  death-thrust  was  to  be  sent  is  no  doubt 
the  mother  of  the  luckless  marquis  whom  the  Spanish  assassin 
ran  through  the  body. " 

"  Yes,  master,"  Belotti  threw  in;  "I  can  confirm  your  sus- 
picion. The  marquise  was  the  wife  of  the  man  who  had  broken 
faith  with  Mistress  van  Hoogstraten  in  her  youth.  She  who 
lies  there,  at  rest  at  last,  saw  many  a  sun  rise  and  set  before 
her  revenge  was  complete." 

"Throw  all  the  rubbish  into  the  fire, "  cried  Van  Hout, 
j^assionately. 

"  No,"  replied  Peter;  "  we  will  not  send  the  letters  away, 
but  we  will  keep  them  among  the  archives.  The  mills  of  God 
grind  slowly,  and  who  can  tell  of  what  use  these  old  letters 
may  be  yet?  Van  Hout  nodded  assent,  and  said,  as  he  put  the 
papers  in  order  again: 

"  I  think  that  the  fortune  of  the  deceased  lady  must  un- 
doubtedly belong  to  the  town. " 

"  The  prince  can  settle  that,"  replied  Van  der  Werff. 
"  How  long  were  you  in  your  mistress's  service,  Belotti?" 

"  Fifteen  years." 

"  Well,  remain  a  little  longer  in  Leyden,  for  I  believe  that 
you  may  count  on  getting  the  legacy  which  she  originally  in- 
tended for  you.     I  will  represent  your  claims. " 

Within  a  few  hours  after  the  nocturnal  obsequies  of  the  old 
lady,  Baron  Matenesse  van  Wibisma  and  Nicolas,  his  son,  made 
their  appearance  at  the  town  gate,  but  they  were  refused  ad- 
mission, although  they  both  craved  it  on  the  ground  of  their 
relative's  death.  Henrika's  father  made  no  such  attempt,  for 
he  had  ridden  to  Cologne  a  few  days  before  to  be  present  at  a 
tourney. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

On  the  26th  of  May — Ascension-day — a  joyous  peal  of  bells 
rang  out  between  noon  and  one  o'clock  announcing  the  open- 
ing of  the  great  fair.  The  old  procession  round  the  outside  of 
the  town  walls  had  long  since  given  place  to  a  church  festival, 


114  THE    Bl   RGOMABTER'S    WTFE. 

but  the  aame  of  "  Ommegang  "  *  was  stil]  inseparable  from 

the  Ascension-tide  Fair,  and  various  little  processions  still  took 
place  at  thf  opening  of  the  annual  market,  even  now  that  the 
reformed  faith  was  in  the  ascendant.  In  Catholic  times  the 
cross  had  always  been  carried  in  a  solemn  procession  through 
the  st  reets,  followed  by  the  whole  population  of  Leyden;  but 
now  the  town  banners  and  standards,  with  the  colors  of  the 
House  of  Orange,  led  the  van,  followed  by  the  nobles  on  horse- 
back,  the  town  officials  in  full  dress,  the  ministers  in  long 
black  robes,  and  the  volunteers  in  their  richest  array  of  arms, 
the  guilds  with  their  emblems  displayed  on  swaying  poles  and 
cross  bars,  and  then  the  long  and  happy  files  of  school-chil- 
dren. The  very  poorest  managed  to  buy  something  new  for 
the  little  ones  on  this  day  of  the  year,  and  the  mothers  never 
took  greater  pains  in  plaiting  the  little  girls'  long  tails  than 
for  the  j)rocession  at  the  Ascension  Fair.  Many  a  stuiver  was 
spent — in  spite  of  the  hard  times — out  of  a  very  scanty  store, 
in  buying  fresh  ribbons  or  new  shoes  for  the  children,  or  for 
smart-colored  cajjs  for  the  boys  and  brightly  dyed  hose.  The 
cheerful  spring  sun  shone  again  in  the  sleekly  combed  hair  of 
the  girls,  while  the  tall  lads,  and  even  the  little  ABC  boys, 
turned  out  smarter  than  the  flowers  in  the  Baron  of  Mont- 
foort's  garden,  as  the  procession  marched  past  it.  Each  one 
had  stuck  some  greenery  with  the  feather  in  his  hat,  and  the 
smaller  the  little  man  the  bigger  his  bunch  was.  There  was 
no  lack  of  busy  chatter  and  joyful  shouting,  for  every  child  as 
it  passed  its  parents'  house  called  to  its  mother — for  the  women 
sta}red  at  home — to  its  grand-dame,  to  the  servants;  and  as 
soon  as  one  set  up  a  shout  a  number  of  others  joined  in.  Nor 
did  their  seniors  keep  silence  when  the  procession  came  by  the 
town  hall,  the  school  of  arms,  the  guild-halls,  or  the  residence 
of  some  popular  favorite;  and  the  general  hubbub  was  in- 
creased and  encouraged  by  the  chiming  of  bells,  the  huzzas  of 
the  boatmen  on  the  two  branches  of  the  Rhine  and  on  the 
canals,  the  bands  of  town  musicians  at  the  corners  of  the 
streets,  the  rattle  of  musketry  and  the  thunder  of  cannon 
which  the  constable  of  the  towm  and  his  artillerymen  were  firing 
off  from  the  Burcht.  They  were  gay  doings  in  the  bright 
spring,  and  these  jolly  folks  seemed  to  be  cradling  themselves 
in  reckless  security  of  enjoyment,  prosperity,  and  peace.  How 
blue  the  sky  was!  how  warm  and  bright  the  sunshine! 

Among  the  members  of  the  town  council,  indeed,  there  were 
grave  and  anxious  faces;  but  the   trade  guilds  and  bands  of 

*  Omgang=°Germ.  Unigang — a  march  rozmd. 


THE    BITRGOM ASTER'S   WIFE.  115 

children  that  followed  them  did  not  observe  this,  so  the  jollifi- 
cation went  on  without  interruption  till  the  churches  had 
swallowed  up  the  holiday-makers,  and  there,  indeed,  from  the 
pulpits,  words  of  earnest  warning  were  spoken,  apt  to  make 
many  a  soul  pause  to  reflect. 

But  three  tenses  of  life  belong  to  man — the  past  belongs  to 
old  age,  the  present  to  the  young,  and  the  f ututre  to  child- 
hood. What  did  the  youths  and  maidens  of  Leyden  care  on 
this  great  yearly  fair  day  and  holiday  for  the  danger  that  was 
so  close?  Each  one  who  could  to-day  coax  a  coin  for  a  fairing 
out  of  parent  or  godfather — or,  if  not  to-day,  for  the  linen  fair 
on  Friday  and  the  following  days — nay,  each  one  who  had 
merely  eyes  to  see  with  and  ears  to  hear  with  and  a  nose  to 
smell  with,  went  wandering  with  others  through  the  rows  of 
booths,  stood  to  stare  at  the  camel  and  the  dancing  bear,  or 
gaze  into  the  open  taverns,  where  not  young  men  and  maidens 
only,  but  their  jolly  elders  swung  round  in  the  dance  to  the 
music  of  bagpipe,  clarionet,  and  fiddle;  or  tasted  sjDice-nuts 
and  other  sweetmeats  with  the  attentive  gravity  of  connois- 
seurs, or  followed  the  sound  of  the  trumpet  by  which  a  negro 
attracted  a  crowd  round  a  quack  doctor. 

Adrian  van  der  Werff  lounged  about,  day  after  day,  with  his 
comrades  or  alone,  gazing  at  the  splendors  of  the  fair,  and 
now  and  again  feeling  his  leather  purse  with  a  satisfied  sense 
of  wealth  as  it  hung  at  his  girdle;  for  it  contained  several 
stivers  given  to  him  by  different  persons  —  his  father, 
mother,  Aunt  Barbara,  and  his  godmother.  Young  Cap- 
tain van  Duivenvoorde,  his  very  particular  friend,  on  whose 
tall  horse  he  had  more  than  once  been  allowed  to  ride,  had 
taken  him  three  times  into  a  waffle-baker's  booth  that  he  might 
eat  his  fill;  and  thus,  even  on  the  Tuesday  after  Ascension- 
day,  his  little  capital  was  but  slightly  diminished.  He  pro- 
posed to  buy  something  very  nice  with  it,  something  worth 
having — a  long  horseman's  sword,  or  a  cross-bow,  or  perhaps 
— but  this  he  regarded  as  a  base  temptation — the  large  ginger- 
bread cake  all  over  almonds  which  stood  as  a  sign  or  trophy  in 
the  booth  of  a  pastry-cook  from  Delft.  To  be  sure  he  and 
Elizabeth  both  might  feast  for  a  week  on  that  gigantic  cake 
if  they  husbanded  it,  and  thrift  is  an  excellent  virtue.  At  any 
rate,  something  must  be  saved  to  buy  "  broedertjes,"  those 
excellent  fairing-cakes,*  which  were  made  and  baked  in  many 
oi  the  booths  under  the  eyes  of  the  passers-by. 

On  that  Tuesday  afternoon,  his  way  led  him  past  a  stall 

*  Made  of  buckwheat. 


116  THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE. 

famous  for  Rotterdam  broedertjes.  In  front  of  the  slightly 
constructed  wooden  shanty,  made  smart  with  mirrors  and 
gayly  painted  images,  a  buxom  and  tidy  woman  in  the  prime 
of  life  sat  on  a  long-legged  arm-chair  that  raised  her  high 
above  the  by-standers,  while  with  wonderful  rapidity  and  skill 
she  poured  a  thin  white  batter,  which  she  dipped  out  of  a  large 
earthenware  pan,  on  to  certain  hot  iron  plates  full  of  little 
pits  or  receptacles.  These  stood  on  a  level  with  her  knees, 
which  were  comfortably  straddled  apart.  Her  attendant,  as 
prompt  as  thought,  turned  the  tempting  dainties  with  a  fork, 
as  they  quickly  browned  in  their  hot  metal  beds,  and  when 
they  were  done  laid  them  delicately  on  little  plates.  A  waiter 
prepared  them  for  the  consumer  by  laying  a  noble  lump  of 
gold-colored  butter  on  the  top  of  each  steaming  hea]3  of  little 
cakes.  An  extraordinary  delicious  smell,  reminding  him  only 
too  strongly  of  former  joys,  rose  from  the  oven;  and  Adrian's 
lingers  were  already  counting  the  contents  of  his  purse,  when 
the  negro's  trumpet  rang  out,  and  the  quack  doctor's  chariot 
drew  up  exactly  in  front  of  the  stall. 

The  far-famed  Dr.  Morpurgo  was  a  tall  man,  dressed  all  in 
scarlet,  with  a  thin,  square,  coal-black  beard,  which  hung  low 
over  his  breast.  His  demeanor  was  measured  and  haughty; 
the  bows  and  gestures  with  which  he  greeted  the  assembled 
crowd  were  affable  and  courteous.  As  soon  as  a  sufficient  num- 
ber of  curious  folks  had  gathered  round  his  chariot,  which  was 
covered  with  boxes  and  vials,  he  began  to  address  them  in 
broken  Dutch,  interspersed  with  several  foreign  words. 

He  praised  the  mercy  of  Providence  >.ho  created  the  mar- 
vels of  man's  organism.  In  that,  said  he,  all  was  wisely 
ordered  and  planned  for  the  best,  but  in  one  respect  still,  nat- 
ure must  confess  herself  at  fault  before  the  tribunal  of  the 
learned. 

"  Do  you  know  now  where  the  fault  lies,  my  masters  and 
mistresses?"  he  asked. 

"  In  the  stomach,"  cried  a  merry  barber's  apprentice, 
"  which  is  empty  every  day  sooner  than  it  ought  to  be." 

"  Right,  my  son!"  answered  the  quack,  graciously.  "  But 
nature  has  provided  for  its  replenishment  by  that  vast  portal 
out  of  which  your  answer  came  so  glibly.  Your  teeth  are  the 
bungling  part  of  the  work.  They  come  with  pain,  they  wear 
out  before  their  time,  and  while  they  last  torment  their 
owners  unless  they  are  duly  cared  for.  But  art  has  correctives 
for  nature.  Look  at  this  little  box — "  and  he  went  on  to  sing 
the  praises  of  his  tooth-powder  and  of  his  elixir  against  the 
toothache.     Then  he  went  on  to  speak  of  the  head,  and  de- 


THE    BUKGOMASTEK'S   WIFE.  117 

scribed  in  vivid  colors  the  many  pains  to  which  it  was  liable. 
But  these,  too,  were  remediable,  certain  to  be  cured,  if  you  only 
had  money  to  buy  his  great  secret.  It  was  to  be  had  for  a 
mere  song,  and  he  who  would  risk  a  trifling  sum  was  certain 
to  be  able  to  rid  himself  even  of  the  very  worst  headache  as 
easily  as  if  he  swept  it  away  with  a  broom. 

Adrian  listened  •open-mouthed  to  the  boastful  leech.  The 
most  delightful  fragrance  was  wafted  toward  him  from  the 
iiot  baking-plate  in  front  of  the  broedertje  stall,  and  he  would 
have  enjoyed  a  plateful  of  fresh  cakes  with  all  his  heart.  In- 
deed, the  jolly  pastry-cook  even  beckoned  him  with  a  nourish 
of  her  ladle,  but  he  shut  his  hand  more  tightly  over  his  purse, 
and  fixed  his  eyes  on  the  quack,  whose  vehicle  was  by  this  time 
surrounded  by  several  men  and  women  buying  his  tinctures 
and  mixtures. 

At  home  Henrika  was  lying  sick;  he  had  twice  been  taken 
up  to  see  her,  and  her  handsome  pale  face  and  large  dark  eyes 
had  filled  his  heart  with  compassion.  Her  deep,  clear  tones, 
too,  when  she  had  addressed  a  few  words  to  him,  were  strange 
and  unfamiliar,  and  had  sunk  into  his  soul.  One  morning  he 
had  been  told  that  she  had  arrived,  and  from  that  time  his 
mother  had  rarely  been  visible,  while  the  house  had  been  kept 
quieter  than  usual;  every  one  trod  softly  and  spoke  in  lowered 
tones,  knocked  gently  at  the  window  instead  of  raj^ping  with 
the  knocker,  and  whenever  Liesa  or  he  laughed  aloud  or  heed- 
lessly jumped  up  or  down-stairs,  out  would  come  Barbara,  or 
his  mother,  or  Trautchen,  and  whisper:  "Hush,  children; 
Mistress  Henrika  has  a  headache." 

Now  there,  in  the  leech's  chariot,  stood  numberless  vials 
which  promised  to  cure  this  pain,  and  the  famous  Morpurgo 
seemed  to  be  a  very  sensible  man,  not  poking  his  fun  and  jokes 
like  other  quack  doctors;  and  he  heard  the  wife  of  Wilhelm 
Peterssohu,  the  baker,  who  was  standing  near  him,  and  whom 
he  knew,  tell  her  comjjanion  that  the  leech's  remedies  were 
good,  for  that  they  had  cured  her  sister-in-law  very  promptly 
of  a  bad  rash  in  her  face. 

This  remark  brought  the  lad's  thoughts  to  a  decision.  A 
ra])id  vision  of  the  long  sword,  the  cross-bow,  the  gingerbread, 
and  the  savory  buckwheat-cakes,  crossed  his  mind,  it  is  true; 
but  he  thrust  them  aside  by  a  determined  effort,  held  his 
breath  that  he  might  not  smell  the  insidious  perfume  of  the 
broedertjes,  and  stepped  quickly  up  to  the  leech's  cart.  There 
he  untied  his  purse  from  his  girdle,  shook  the  contents  into  his 
hand,  and  held  them  out  to  the  doctor,  who  had  fixed  his  eyes 


118  THE    BUBGOMASTBB'S   AVIFE. 

with  a  benevolent  gaze  on  this  unwonted  purchaser,  and  asked 
him  "  it'  that  was  enough?" 

"  What  for?" 

••  For  the  medicine  to  cure  headache." 

The  nostrum-seller  spread  the  little  coins  out  with  his  fore- 
finger <m  the  palm  of  Adrian's  hand,  and  answered,  gravely: 
"  No,  my  lad;  but  I  am  always  ready  to  promote  the  cause  of 
learning.  You  have  a  great  deal  to  learn*yet  at  school,  and- 
headaches  are  a  hinderance.  Here  are  the  drops,  and  for  you 
I  will  give  these  instructions  as  to  another  great  secret  of  mine 
into  the  bargain. " 

Adrian  hastily  wrapped  the  little  vial  the  leech  had  given 
him  in  the  piece  of  printed  paper,  clasped  his  dearly  hought 
treasure  in  Ins  hand,  and  ran  home.  On  his  way  he  was 
stopped  by  Captain  AUertssohn,  who  came  up  to  him  with  the 
organist. 

"  Have  you  seen  my  Andreas,  Master  Scapegrace?"  he  asked 
the  boy. 

"  He  was  standing  by  the  Rassenburg  with  the  musicians, 
listening  to  them,"  said  Adrian,  wriggling  himself  from  the 
tall  captain's  grasp  and  vanishing  in  the  crowd. 

"  A  nimble  rascal,"  said  the  soldier.  "  So  my  boy  is  with 
the  musicians  again.  His  head  is  full  of  nothing  but  your  art. 
He  would  far  rather  pipe  a  tune  on  a  comb  than  comb  his  hair 
with  it,  and  he  uses  every  leaf  and  reed  he  picks  up  as  a  flute.  . 
He  makes  triangles  out  of  broken  blades,  and  not  a  saucepan 
is  safe  from  his  drumming — in  short,  the  young  vagabond  has 
sing-song  on  the  brain;  he  wants  to  be  a  town  musician  or 
something  of  the  kind/' 

"  That  is  right — that  is  right!"  exclaimed  Wilhelm,  eager- 
ly; "  he  has  a  good  ear  and  is  the  best  singer  in  the  choir." 

"  Well,  we  must  think  it  over,"  replied  the  captain;  "  and 
you,  if  any  one,  can  tell  me  what  is  to  be  got  out  of  your  line 
of  art.  If  you  have  time  this  evening,  Master  Wilhelm,  join 
me  in  the  watch;  I  should  like  to  have  a  talk  with  you.  .But 
you  will  not  find  me  before  ten.  To-day  I. have  had  that  spasm 
in  mv  throat,  and  on  such  occasions — by  Roland,  my  former 
self—" 

He  cleared  his  throat  loudly  and  violently. 

"  I  am  at  your  service,'*  answered  Wilhelm,  "  for  the  night 
is  long;  but  now  and  here  I  will  not  let  you  go  till  I  know  what 
all  tin's  is  about  Roland  and  your  former  self." 

"'  By  all  means;  but  there  is  not  much  to  tell,  and  perhaps 
yon  will  hardly  understand  it.  But  come  in  here — a  stoup  of 
beer  will  help  on  the  story,  and  a  man's  legs  rebel  when  they 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  119 

have  not  been  allowed  their  dues  of  rest  for  four  nights  run- 
ning. " 

When  the  two  men  were  seated  opposite  each  other  in  the 
tavern  parlor,  the  fencing-master  parted  Ins  mustache  over  his 
lips  and  began: 

''It  is — how  long  ago? — well,  we  will  say  a  good  fifteen 
years  since  I  one  day  had  occasion  to  ride  to  Haarlem  with  the 
host  of  the  Exchange  Inn,  who,  as  you  know,  is  a  learned 
man,  and  choke-full  of  all  sorts  of  old-world  lore  and  Latin 
books;  he  is  a  very  pleasant  man  to  talk  to.  Presently  the 
conversation  turned  on  the  way  in  which  often  in  life,  when 
something  occurs  to  you  for  the  first  time,  you  have  a  feeling 
as  though  the  same  thing  had  happened  to  you  once  before, 
and  Aquanus  said  that  this  is  easily  explained  since  the  soul  of 
man  is  indestructible — a  sort  of  immortal,  airy  bird.  As  long 
as  we  live  it  remains  with  lis,  but  when  it  is  all  over  with  us  it 
flies  away,  and  is  rewarded  or  punished  according  to  its  deserts; 
but  after  many  hundred  years,  which  to  the  Almighty  are  no 
more  than  the  minutes  it  takes  me  to  empty  this  cool  tankard 
— bring  another,  tapster — the  merciful  Father  sets  it  free,  and 
then  it  finds  a  home  in  some  new-born  child.  This  made  me 
laugh,  but  he  did  not  care  for  that,  and  went  on  to  speak  of 
some  ancient  heathen,  a  most  wondrous  wise-head  in  his  time, 
who  knew  for  certain  that  his  soul  had  formerly  taken  up  its 
quarters  in  the  body  of  a  mighty  hero.  This  same  heathen  re- 
membered exactly  where,  during  his  former  life,  he  had  hung 
up  his  shield,  and  told  his  fellow  sages.  So  they  sent  for  it, 
and  there  they  found  the  buckler,  and  on  it  the  initials  of  the 
two  names  which  had  been  those  of  the  wise  man  hundreds  of 
years  before,  during  his  life  as  a  soldier.  That  staggered  me, 
for  you  see,  master — now,  do  not  laugh — before  that,  some- 
thing had  happened  to  me  just  like  the  experience  of  that  old 
heathen.  I  had  not  many  books,  and  from  a  child  upward 
had  already  read  the  same  one  again  and  again.  I  inherited  it 
from  my  late  father,  and  it  is  not  a  printed  book,  but  a  writ- 
ten one;  I  will  show  it  you  some  day — it  contains  the  history 
of  Eoland  the  brave.  Often  and  often  as  I  have  sat  buried  in 
that  glorious  and  veracious  history,  my  cheeks  have  tingled,  as 
red  as  live  coal,  and  I  will  own  to  you  as  I  did  to  Aquanus,  if 
I  am  not  much  mistaken  I  have  sat  at  table  with  King  Charles, 
and  fought  in  Eoland 's  chain-mill  in  tournaments  and  battles. 
I  feel  that  I  have  seen  Marsille,  tbe  Paynim  king;  and  once, 
when  I  was  reading  the  story  of  how  Eoland  blew  bis  horn  at 
Eoncevalles  till  the  battle  was  ended,  I  was  seized  with  a  pain 
in  my  throat,  as  if  it  would  burst,  and  at  the  same  time  I  knew 


120  THE    BURGOMASTER'S   Will-. 

that  I  had  felt  bhal  pain  at  some  other  long -past  time.  And 
when  1  told  Aquanus  all  this  exactly,  he  exclaimed  that  there 
could  I"'  do  doubi  that  my  son]  had  previously  existed  as  thai 
of  Roland,  or,  in  other  words,  that  in  a  former  life  1  actually 
was  that  noble  knight.*' 

The  musician  gazed  at  the  speaker  in  astonishment. 

"  And  do  you  really  believe  Unit,  captain?"  he  asked. 

"Wherefore  not?"  replied  the  other;  "with  God  nothing 
is  impossible.  At  first  I  laughed  in  the  host's  face  myself,  bul 
his  words  stuck  in  my  mind,  and  when  1  read  the  old  story 
through  once  more — I  need  not  hurt  my  eyes  over  it,  for  at 
every  line  I  know  what  the  next  will  be — I  could  not  help  ask- 
ing myself — in  short,  master,  my  soul  certainly  did  once  live 
in  Roland's  body,  and  therefore  I  call  him  my  former  self.  In 
the  course  of  years  I  have  got  into  the  habit  of  swearing  by 
him.  Folly,  you  think,  perhaps,  but  I  know  what  I  know. 
Now,  I  must  be  going.  To-night  we  will  talk  further,  but  of 
other  things;  after  all,  master,  each  of  us  has  a  tile  off  if  we 
did  but  know  it,  and.  mine  at  any  rate  gives  my  neighbors  no 
trouble.  Besides,  I  only  confess  it  to  a  good  friend,  and  stran- 
gers who  once  ask  me  what  I  mean  by  my  '  former  self  '  rarely 
ask  a  second  time.  The  reckoning,  tapster —  There  is  that 
spasm  again.  I  must  see  that  the  towers  are  pnyperlv  manned, 
and  stir  up  the  outj^osts  to  keep  their  eyes  open.  If  you  turn 
out  under  arms  perhaps  you  will  save  yourself  a  walk;  I  will 
answer  for  nothing  to-day.  You  wrill  have  to  pass  by  the  New 
Rhine,*  so  just  step  into  my  house  and  tell  my  good  wife  not 
to  wait  supper  for  me.  And.  yet — no,  I  will  do  it  myself. 
There  is  something  in  the  air  to-day,  as  you  will  see  before 
long,  for  I  have  my  Roncevalles  throat  again." 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

In  a  large  guard-room,  not  very  far  from  the  Burcht,  and 
which  had  been  erected  during  the  former  siege — now  raised 
some  two  months  since — a  party  of  town  guards  and  volunteers 
were  sitting  in  groups,  now  that  the  sun  had  set,  plying  the 
tankard  Avhile  they  chatted,  or  passing  the  time  in  card-play- 
ing by  the  dim  light  of  a  few  lean  tallow  candles.  The  bow- 
window,  where  the  officers'  table  stood,  was  somewhat  better 
lighted.  Wilhelm,  who  in  obedience  to  his  friend's  hint  had 
put  on  his  uniform  as  an  .ensign  of  the  city  forces,  took  his 
seat  at  a  vacant  table  soon  after  the  town  clock  had  tolled  ten. 

*  The  name  of  a  branch  of  the  Rhine  and  of  the  houses  on  the  quay. 


THE    BURGOMASTERS   WIFE.  121 

"While  he  was  giving  his  order  to  the  tapster  to  bring  him  a 
stoup  of  beer,  the  captain  made  his  appearance,  and  with  him 
the  Baron  van  Warmond,  the  same  who  had  taken  part  in  the 
privy  council  at  Van  dei^Werff's,  and  who,  two  years  since, 
had  valiantly  won  his  captain's  sash  at  the  taking  of  Brill — the 
son  of  one  of  the  noblest  and  richest  houses  in  Holland,  and  of 
a  mother  who  had  borne  the  name  of  Egmont.  As  he  came 
into  the  oriel,  he  drew  his  hand,  hidden  in  a  long  fencing- 
glove,  away  from  tlie  captain's  arm,  and  exclaimed,  shouting 
down  the  musician's  order: 

"  Nothing  of  the  sort,  man!  The  little  cask  of  golden 
Wurzburg  Stein  wine  can  not  be  empty  yet,  and  we  will  see 
the  bottom  of  it  this  night.     What  do  you  say,  captain?" 

"Ay,  it  will  lighten  the  cask  and  not  overweight  us,"  re- 
plied the  other.  Good-evening,  Master  Wilhelm;  punctual- 
ity becomes  a  soldier.  The  men  are  beginning  to  understand 
what  has  to  be  done;  I  have  posted  them  so  that  their  eyes 
command  every  point  of  the  compass.  They  are  to  be  relieved 
every  hour,  and  between  whiles  I  myself  will  see  that  all  is 
well.  This  is  good  liquor,  Jonker.  All  honor  to  the  man  who 
melts  down  his  father's  gold  into  such  a  noble  fluid.  The  first 
glass  to  the  prince!" 

The  three  men  clinked  their  glasses,  and  ere  long  clinked 
them  again  to  the  freedom  of  Holland  and  the  prosperity  of 
the  good  town  of  Leyden.  Then  their  talk  took  a  jovial  turn, 
though  duty  was  not  forgotten,  for  at  the  end  of  half  an  hour 
the  captain  rose  to  cast  an  eye  himself  into  the  distance  and 
rouse  the  attention  of  the  watch.  When  he  presently  returned 
to  the  bow-window,  Wilhelm  and  his  companion  were  convers- 
ing so  eagerly  that  they  did  not  at  once  observe  his  presence. 
The  musician  was  expatiating  on  Italy,  and  Allertssohn  heard 
him  impetuously  run  on: 

"  Any  one  who  has  once  seen  it  can  never  forget  it,  and 
when  I  sit  up  there  among  my  pigeons  my  thoughts  only  too 
often  fly  after  them,  and  my  eyes  cease  to  see  our  broad,  uni- 
form flats  of  green  and  our  cloudy  gray  skies. " 

"  Ho,  ho!  Master  Wilhelm,"  the  captain  broke  in,  as  he 
threw  himself  into  his  arm-chair  and  stretched  his  booted  legs 
out  in  front  of  him.  "  Ho,  ho!  this  time  I  have  caught  you 
riding  your  pet  hobby.  Italy,  and  again  Italy!  Well,  I  know 
Lombardy,  for  I  have  been  to  Brescia,  and  brought  back  some 
good  steel  blades,  too,  for  the  prince  and  other  of  our  seigneurs. 
Then  I  crossed  the  wild  Apennines  to  Florence,  to  seek  for 
finely  wrought  armor.  From  Leghorn  I  went  by  sea  to 
Genoa,  and  there  I  procured  gold  and  silver  filigree  work  for 


122  THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE. 

hangers  and  sword-hilts.  The  truth  is  the  truth,  and  the 
Bwarthy  rascals  can  work:  but  the  country — the  country — by 
Roland,  my  former  soli'!  how  any  man  can  prefer  it  to  ours 
beats  my  comprehension."  • 

"  Holland  is  our  mother/'  interrupted  the  young  baron. 
"As  dutiful  sons  we  think  her  the  best  of  women,  but  still 
there  is  no  shame  in  confessing  that  there  are  handsomer  ones 
on  the  face  of  the  earth." 

"  What!  you  blow  the  same  trumpet?"  exclaimed  the  cap- 
tain, angrily,  pushing  his  glass  further  on  the  table.  "  And 
were  you  ever  on  the  other  side  of  the  Alps,  may  I  ask?" 

"  Ko,  never;  but  all  the  same — " 

"  All  the  same,  you  are  ready  to  believe  the  daubers  of  the 
painters'  guild,  whose  eyes  are  bewitched  by  a  patch  of  blue  sea 
or  sky;  or  your  musical  folks,  whose  heads  are  turned  by  a 
sweet  voice  or  pathetic  fiddling;  but  you  will  be  wise,  I  tell 
you,  to  listen  for  once  to  a  cool-headed  man." 

"  Speak  on,  captain." 

"  Good;  and  the  man  who  can  find  me  out  in  a  word  of  un- 
truth may  make  me  pay  his  reckoning  to  the  day  of  doom.  I 
will  begin  at  the  very  beginning.  First  of  all  you  have  to  get 
over  those  horrible  mountains,  the  Alps;  there  you  see  barren 
desert  rocks,  sheets  of  cold  snow,  and  icy  roaring  torrents  on 
which  you  can  never  float  a  boat.  Instead  of  watering  the 
meadqws,  the  perverse  stream  flings  stones  up  on  to  the  banks. 
Then  you  come  down  again  into  the  jDlain,  and  there,  I  must 
confess,  everything  grows  in  plenty.  I  was  there  in  the  month 
of  June,  and  I  had  a  good  laugh  at  the  tiny  jilots  of  land 
planted  with  little  trees  to  serve  as  props  for  the  vines.  It 
looked  ]3retty  enough — but  the  heat,  Jonker — the  heat  spoils 
all  enjoyment;  then  the  dirt  in  the  inns,  the  vermin,  and  the 
shocking  things  one  hears  of  the  brutes  on  two  legs,  who,  for 
filthy  lucre,  are  ready  at  any  time  to  spill  Christian  blood  in 
the  dark.  If  your  throat  is  dry  and  your  tongue  parched,  not 
a  drop  of  cool  beer  can  you  get,  nothing  but  fiery  wine — and 
the  dust,  masters,  the  fearful  dust!  So  far  as  the  Bresca 
blades  are  concerned,  all  honor  to  them!  But  the  feather  was 
stolen  out  of  my  hat  in  the  inn  there,  and  the  host  eat  onions 
as  if  they  were  cakes.  And  may  I  j^erish  if  a  single  piece  of 
good,  wholesome  beef,  such  as  my  old  woman  serves  me  up 
every  day — and  we  do  not  live  like  jDrinces  neither — ever  came 
between  my  teeth!  Then  the  butter,  Jonker — the  butter!  We 
burn  oil  in  our  [amps  and  use  it  to  grease  the  door-hinges 
when  they  creak,  but  the  Italians  use  it  to  cook  their  fish  and 
fowls  in — bah,  horrid!" 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  133 

"Mind  what  you  are  saying,  captain/*'  cried  Wilhelm,  "  or 
I  shall  take  you  at  your  word,  and  you  will  have  to  pay  my 
reckonings  as  long  as  I  live.  The  oil  of  the  olive  is  a  pure  and 
delicate  condiment. " 

"  For  those  that  like  it.  I  prefer  Dutch  butter.  Olive  oil 
is  good  enough  for  cleaning  steel  blades,  but  for  baking  and 
frying  butter  is  the  right  thing,  and  there's  an  end  of  the  mat- 
ter. Just  ask  your  worthy  mother  to  fry  her  pancakes  and 
flounders  in  oil — why,  she  would  stare  at  you.  However,  hear 
me  further.  From  Lombardy  I  went  to  Bologna,  and  then 
crossed  the  wild  Apennines.  First  up  for  a  time,  then  sud- 
denly down  again :  and  there  is  a  strange  satisfaction — which 
in  our  country,  thank  God!  we  never  enjoy — in  sticking  to 
your  saddle  as  you  go  down-hill.  To  the  right  and  left  are  tall 
cliffs  like  walls.  In  those  narrow  valleys  you  can  hardly 
breathe:  as  to  looking  abroad,  you  cannot  do  it,  for  whichever 
way  you  turn,  there  are  the  hideous  mountains  close  to  your 
nose.  It  is  my  belief  that  the  Almighty  piled  up  these  heaps 
after  Adam's  fall,  as  a  punishment  to  mankind,  and  that  on 
the  sixth  day  of  creation  the  earth  was  a  level  plain. 

"  It  was  then* August,  and  when  the  noonday  sun  beat  upon 
the  rocky  wall  it  was  simply  enough  to  kill  you;  it  is  a  mira- 
cle to  me  that  I  do  not  at  this  minute  sit  before  you  utterly 
baked  and  dried  ivp.  Then  that  famous  blue  sky  of  Italy — it 
is  always  the  same.  We  have  seen  it  heie  too  in  this  country, 
and  it  is  varied  by  lovely  clouds.  There  are  few  things  here 
in  Holland  that  I  like  better  than  those  very  clouds  of  ours.. 
Well,  when  at  last  the  Apennines  lay  behind  me,  I  came  to 
the  famous  city  of  Florence." 

"  And  could  not  that  even  meet  with  your  approbation?" 
asked  the  musician. 

"  No,  master;  it  has  many  grand  and  proud  palaces  and 
gorgeous  churches,  and  no  lack  of  silk  and  velvet  everywhere, 
and  their  manufacture  of  cloth,  too,  is  splendid;  but  still  I 
was  not  happy,  master — I  was  not  happy  in  your  Florence: 
principally  by  reason  of  the  heat,  but  I  found  everything  very 
different  from  what  I  had  expected.  In  the  first  place,  there 
is  the  Arno!  why,  it  is  perfectly  ridiculous!  a  thing  to  laugh 
at  is  that  river!  Do  you  know  what  it  is  like?  Why,  for  all 
the  world  like  the  gutters  which  stand  in  a  stone-mason's  yard 
after  a  heavy  storm  of  rain,  and  trickle  between  the  splinters 
and  blocks  of  hewn  stone." 

"  Beware,  captain — the  reckoning!" 

"I  mean  a  stone-mason's  yard  on  a  very  large  scale,  and 
tolerably  wide  gutters.    Can  you  contradict  me  when  I  say  that 


1H  THE    BURGOMASTER^    "WIFE. 

Arno  is  a  shallow,  narrow  thread  of  water,  only  lit  to  float 
canoe?    And  it  serves  to  ornament  abroad  plain  of 
graj  pebbles-  very  much  as  thai  gold  Cringe  of  the  Jonkcr's 
gauni  lit.  " 

"  You  saw  it  at  the  end  of  a  sultry  summer,"  replied  Wil- 
helm;  "  it  is  very  different  in  the  spring.  " 

•'  May  be,  hut  I  beg  you  only  to  think  of  the  Rhine  and  the 
Maas,  and  our  other  big  rivers,  or  even  the  Marne  and  the 
Drecht,  and  the  whole  host  of  little  ones.  They  are  full  all 
the  year  round,  and  bear  fine  large  ships.  Level  and  trust- 
worthy— that  is  the  rule  in  our  country:  one  thing  one  day 
and  another  the  next  is  the  way  in  Italy.  And  it  is  just  the 
same  with  their  sword-jilay  and  fencing." 

"  But  the  Italians  carry  dangerous  weapons,"  said  Van 
Warmond. 

"  So  they  do;  but  they  leap  here  and  there — have  no  steadi- 
ness. I  have  a  right  to  speak,  for  I  lodged  with  Torelli.  a 
1'el low-swordsman,  and  the  first  fencer  iu  the  town.  As  to  the 
meals  they  gave  me,  the  less  said  the  better;  macaroni  to-day, 
ma  jaroni  to-morrow,  a  couple  of  drum-sticks  of  a  fowl,  e  basla. 
Many  a  time  have  I  strapped  my  belt  tighter  after  dinner.  So 
far  as  the  art  of  fence  is  concerned,  Torelli,  to  be  sure,  is  no 
bungler;  but  even  he  jumps  and  srjrings  about  too  much.  In 
a  pass  with  him  you  must  keep  your  eyes  open,  but  if  once  I 
can  engage  his  blade  and  put  in  my  carte  tierce  and  longe  in 
seconde,  he  is  done  for. " 

"A  fine  botte!"  said  the  young  baron;  "I  have  found  it 
very  serviceable." 

"  I  know,  I  know,"  said  the  captain,  eagerly;  "  you  silenced 
that  French  ruffian  with  it  at  I\amur.  There  is  that  grip  at 
my  throat  again!  There  is  something  in  the  air  to-day,  my 
masters — there  must  be  something  in  the  air." 

The  fencing-master  clutched  at  the  front  of  his  ruff  with  his 
left  hand,  while  with  his  right  hand  he  set  his  glass  on  the 
(able.  He  had  often  before  done  so  with  far  less  care,  but  on 
this  occasion  the  glass  flew  into  a  thousand  pieces. 

"It  does  not  matter,"  cried  the  baron.  "Here,  boy — 
another  glass  for  the  captain." 

The  fencing-master  pushed  his  chair  back  from  the  table, 
ami  said,  as  he  contemplated  the  shards  of  green  glass,  but  in 
an  altered  voice,  and  to  himself  rather  than  to  his  companions: 

"  Ay,  ay — it  will  be  in  good  earnest  too!  smashed  into  a 
thousand  pieces.  Well,  God's  will  be  done!  I  know  where 
my  place  is." 

"  Why,  master,"  interrupted  Van  Warmond,  reproachfully, 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   "WIFE.  125 

as  he  filled  up  the  new  glass,  "  what  maggots  are  there?  Be- 
fore the  skirmish  at  Brill  I  jumped  out  of  the  boat  with  a  leap; 
as  I  did  so  I  broke  my  sword.  I  soon  found  another,  but  it 
passed  through  my  mind,  '  To-day  will  be  the  end  of  me' — 
and  here  I  sit  to  this  day,  and  hope  to  empty  many  a  rummer 
with  you  yet." 

"  It  is  past,"  said  the  soldier,  raising  his  hat  and  wiping  his 
brow  with  the  back  of  his  hand.  '  Every  man's  hour  must 
strike  once,  and  if  mine  is  at  hand  so  be  it.  My  family  will 
not  starve.  The  house  on  the  New  Rhine  is  a  freehold,  and  if 
they  do  not  inherit  much  else,  at  any  rate  I  can  leave  them  an 
honest  name  and  true  friends.  My  second  boy,  the  young 
musician — you  will  keep  your  eye  on  him,  Wilhelm,  I  know. 
No  man  is  indispensable  to  the  world's  progress,  and  if  Heaven 
recalls  me  from,  my  command,  the  young  Baron  of  Nordwyk, 
Jan  van  der  Does,  can  fill  my  place.  You,  Van  Warmond, 
are  in  your  right  place  where  you  are,  and  the  good  cause  will 
come  to  a  happy  issue  without  my  help." 

The  organist  listened  with  astonishment  to  the  softened 
tones  of  the  strange  man's  voice,  but  the  Jonker  lifted  his 
glass,  exclaiming: 

"  What  dismal  thoughts  over  a  cheerful  glass!  You  are  the 
loser  by  it,  captain.  Take  up  your  glass  again  and  drink  my 
toast:  '  Long  live  the  noble  art  of  fence  and  your  botte:  carte, 
tierce,  and  longe  in  seconde.'  " 

"  Long  live  the  art — ay,  and  the  botte,"  answered  the  cap- 
tain. "  Many  hundreds  of  noble  gentlemen  use  the  sword  in 
this  land,  and  the  man  who  sits  before  you  taught  them  to  use 
it  according  to  rule.  Many  a  one  has  my  botte  served  well 
in  a  duel,  while  I,  Andreas,  their  master,  have  cut  and  thrust, 
parried  and  longed  thousands  of  times,  and  always  with  buttons 
on  the  foils  and  against  a  -padded  doublet.  But  no  man  has 
ever  stood  up>  to  me  in  a  duel  outside  the  city  walls,  or  faced 
me  in  single  combat  in  battle,  often  as  I  have  pressed  a  leader 
of  the  foe.  This  Brescia  blade  has  run  through  more  than  one 
(Spanish  gorget;  but  the  art  that  I  teach  you,  gentlemen,  the 
art  I  love  and  to  which  I  have  devoted  my  life,  I  have  never 
had  the  chance  of  putting  into  serious  practice.  This  is  hard 
to  bear,  my  masters;  and  if  merciful  Heaven  is  disjaosed  to 
vouchsafe  a  crowning  mercy  to  a  poor  man  who  has  been  no 
worse  than  his  neighbors  before  He  calls  him  away,  He  will 
grant  me  yet  once  to  cross  my  sword,  in  real  and  earnest  single 
combat,  and  let  me  try  my  botte  for  life  or  death  against  a 
worthy  adversary.     If  God  Almighty  grants  me  that — " 

But  the  fencing-master  had  not  finished  his  sentence  when 


126  THE    BURGOMASTER'S   "WIFE. 

6  in;in  ai  arms  flung  open  fchedoorand  shouted  into  the  guard- 
room: 

"  The  lighl  is  up  at  Leyerdorp!" 

At  these  words  Allertssohn  sprung  to  his  feet,  trembling 
with  excitement  like  a  boy,  drew  himself  up,  settled  his  arms 
and  strappings,  and  drew  down  his  sash  as  he  cried: 

•  To  the  Burcht,  bugler,  and  sound  the  assembly.  Captain 
van  Duivenvoorde,  collect  your  volunteers;  place  yourself  at 
the  Hoogewoerde  Gate  with  four  companies  ready  to  attack  if 
the  fight  comes  near  to  the  city  walls.  The  constable  will 
to  your  being  provided  with  tinder.  Our  strength  on  the  bas- 
tions must  be  doubled.  You,  Klaas,  go  at  once  and  tell  the 
bell-ringer  of  St.  Pancras;  he  must  toll  an  alarm  to  warn  the 
folks  who  have  come  in  for  the  fair.  Give  me  your  hand, 
Jonker — you,  I  know,  will  be  at  your  post;  you,  Master  Wil- 
helm — " 

"I  am  coming  with  you/'  said  the  musician,  decidedly. 
''Do  not  refuse  me;  I  have  sat  still  long  enough,  and  am 
suffocating  in  here. " 

Wilhelm's  cheeks  were  glowing,  and  so  fierce  and  sinister  a 
gleam  sparkled  in  his  eyes  that  Van  Warmond  looked  with  as- 
tonishment at  his  friend,  usually  so  calm,  while  the  captain 
exclaimed : 

'  Well,  then,  join  the  first  company  under  my  ensign.  You 
do  not  look  as  if  you  were  in  the  humor  for  jesting,  and  we  are 
in  earnest  this  night — ay,  in  bloody  earnest!" 

Allertssohn  went  out  of  the  house  with  a  resolute  step,  spoke 
a  few  short  and  determined  words  to  Ms  men,  ordered  the 
drummers  to  beat  a  reveille  as  they  marched  through  the 
streets  of  the  town,  to  rouse  the  visitors  to  the  fair,  and  then 
placed  himself  at  the  head  of  his  little  company  of  tried  men, 
and  led  them  by  the  New  Rhine.  The  moon  shone  brightly 
down  on  the  silent  streets,  was  reflected  from  the  black  surface 
of  the  river,  and  flooded  the  tall,  peaked  gables  of  the  narrow 
houses  Avith  its  silver  fight.  The  brisk  step  of  the  soldiers 
echoed  hollow  from  the  walls  through  the  stilly  night,  and  the 
vibration  from  the  sharp  rattle  of  the  drums  made  the  window- 
panes  ring  again. 

No  merry  children  trotted  on  in  front  of  the  warriors  with 
paper  flags  and  wooden  swords;  there  were  no  saucy  maidens 
or  proud  mothers  to  follow  them;  no  veteran  to  recall  the  by- 
gone time  when  he,  too,  had  borne  arms— on  tins  occasion  there 
Mas  none  of  all  this.  As  the  little  troop— silent,  and  set  on 
the  rigor  of  battle— reached  Allertssohn 's    house,  the   tower 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE.  127 

clock  struck  midnight  in  slow  and  solemn  tones,  and  at  the 
same  instant  the  tocsin  of  St.  Pancras  tolled  the  alarm. 

On  the  first-floor  of  the  fencing-master's  house  a  window 
was  thrust  open,  at  which  the  face  of  his  wife  appeared.  An 
anxious  married  life  with  her  eccentric  husband  had  early  aged 
the  pretty  face  of  his  Eva,  but  the  soft  moonlight  beautified 
her  faded  features.  The  rattle  of  her  husband's  drum  was  a 
well-known  sound,  but  when  she  saw  him  marching  past  while 
the  sinister  toll  of  the  alarm-bell  shook  the  air,  she  was  seized 
with  terror,  and  could  hardly  utter  the  words  as  she  tried  to 
call  out:  "  Husband — Andreas,  what  is  the  matter,  Andreas?" 

He  did  not  hear  her,  for  the  roll  of  the  drums,  the  trample 
of  the  soldiers'  feet  on  the  pavement,  and  the  warning  peal 
from  the  church  tower,  drowned  her  voice.  But  he  saw  her, 
and  a  strange  feeling  came  over  him;  her  face,  wrapped  in  a 
white  kerchief,  and  glorified  by  the  moonlight,  looked  sweeter 
than  he  had  ever  seen  it  since  the  days  of  their  wooing,  and 
he  felt  so  young  and  bold  and  chivalrously  defiant  as  he 
marched  to  danger  that  he  drew  himself  up  and  swaggered 
past  in  precise  time  to  the  beat  of  the  drums,  and,  like  some 
young  lover,  waved  her  a  kiss  with  his  left  hand,  while  with 
his  right  he  lowered  the  point  of  his  sword. 

The  warlike  roll  and  the  flying  standard  had  driven  every 
gloomy  thought  out  of  his  head.  Thus  they  marched  on  as 
far  as  the  Gansoord.  There  a  cart  was  standing,  which  served 
as  the  night  quarters  of  some  travelers  who  had  been  roused 
by  the  tocsin,  and  who  were  now  hastily  collecting  and  pack- 
ing their  property;  an  old  woman  was  grumbling  and  bewail- 
ing herself  as  she  harnessed  a  gaunt  horse  to  the  shafts,  and  a 
lamentable  little  voice  called  persistently  out  of  the  small  win- 
dow, whimpering:  "Mother,  mother,"  and  then  for  variety: 
"Father,  father." 

The  captain  heard  the  child's  wail;  the  smile  faded  from  his 
lips,  and  he  walked  less  proudly.  But  then,  turning  to  his 
men,  he  shouted  in  a  loud  voice:  "Forward!"  Wilhelm  was 
marching  close  behind  him,  and  at  a  sign  from  him  took  his 
place  by  his  side;  and  the  captain,  as  he  mended  his  pace 
again,  took  the  organist's  arm,  and  said,  in  a  low  voice: 

"  You  will  take  the  youngster  to  teach,  will  you  not?" 

"  Yes,  captain." 

"  That  is  well;  you  will  meet  with  your  reward,"  replied 
the  other;  then  brandishing  his  sword,  he  shouted:  "  Freedom 
for  Holland!  Death  to  the  Spaniard,  and  long  live  the  Prince 
of  Orange!" 


128  THE  burgomaster's  wife. 

The  men  heartily  joined  in  the  cry,  and  they  marched  at  a 
(prick  Btep  out  of  the  Hoogewoerde  Gate  toward  Leyerdorp. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Adrian  flew  home  with  his  vial,  and  in  his  delight  at  hav- 
ing brought  a  cure  for  Mistress  Henrika  he  forgot  all  about 
the  .sick  lady's  headache,  and  knocked  loudly  at  the  front 
door.  Barbara  admitted  him  with  a  by  no  means  flattering 
welcome;  but  he  was  so  full  of  the  joy  of  possessing  his  dearly 
purchased  treasure  that  he  boldly  interrupted  his  aunt's  angry 
scolding,  exclaiming,  with  vehement  confidence  in  the  con- 
sciousness of  so  good  a  cause: 

'  But  you  will  see — you  will  see.     I  have  something  here 
for  the  lady.     Where  is  mother?" 

Barbara  saw  the  boy  had  come  home  bent  on  some  delight- 
ful errand  which  prevented  his  thinking  of  anything  else,  and 
his  fresh  and  radiant  boyish  face  was  so  pleasant  to  look  upon 
that  she  forgot  to  scold  him,  and  said,  with  a  good-natured 
smile: 

"  You  make  me  quite  curious;  what  can  you  be  in  such  a 
hurry  about?" 

"  I  have  bought  something;  is  mother  upstairs?" 

"  Yes,  to  be  sure;  but  show  me  what  you  have  got." 

"  Some  medicine;  infallible,  I  tell  you.  A  remedy  for  head- 
ache." 

"  A  cure  for  headache?"  said  the  widow,  puzzled;  "  who 
can  have  taken  you  in  with  that  story?" 

'  Taken  me  in!"  said  the  boy,  laughing;  "  I  bought  it  quite 
cheap." 

"  Show  it  to  me,  child,"  said  Barbara,  trying  to  seize  the 
vial;  but  Adrian  started  back  and  hid  his  treasure  behind  him, 
exclaiming: 

"  No,  aunt;  I  will  take  it  to  mother  myself." 
'  What  next?"  exclaimed  the  aunt.    "  Were  there  ever  such 
doings?     A  donkey  dances  on  a  slack  rope,  and  now  a  school- 
boy meddles  with  the  leech's  practice!     Show  me  the  thing 
this  moment.    Quack  medicines,  indeed — we  want  them  truly!" 

"Quack  medicines!"  retorted  Adrian,  indignantly.  "It 
cost  me  all  my  fairing  stivers,  and  it  is  very  good  medicine. " 

During  this  little  contest  Dr.  Bontius  and  the  mistress  of  the 
house  came  down-stairs  together.  He  overheard  the  boy's  last 
words,  and  asked,  sternly: 

'   Where  did  you  get  the  stuff?" 

And  he  grasped  the  boy's  hand — for  Adrian  did  not  dare  to 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  129 

resist   the  grave  physician — took  the  vial  and    the  printed 
notice,  and,  as  Adrian  shortly  rejflied: 

"  From  Doctor  Morpurgo,"  he  said,  in  a  tone  of  annoyance: 

"  The  decoction  is  good  to  throw  away;  but  take  care  not 
to  poison  the  fishes  with  it;  and  the  stuff  cost  half  a  gulden! 
You  are  a  man  of  substance,  Master  Adrian.  Next  time  you 
have  any  superfluous  capital  you  may  lend  it  to  me." 

This  sjDeech  dashed  the  boy's  innocent  happiness,  but  it  did 
not  convince  his  judgment,  and  with  a  defiant  wriggle  he 
turned  his  back  on  the  doctor.  Barbara  felt  for  him,  under- 
standing what  was  passing  in  his  mind;  and  she  whispered  in 
deprecation  to  the  doctor  and  her  sister-in-law: 

'It  was  the  whole  of  his  fairing  money — to  help  the  sick 
lady." 

Maria  went  toward  the  disappointed  lad,  drew  his  curly  head 
to  her  side  and  kissed  his  forehead  in  silence,  while  the  doctor 
read  the  printed  notice.  Then,  as  gravely  as  ever,  and  with- 
out moving  a  muscle  of  his  face,  he  went  on: 

"  Still,  Morpurgo  is  not  so  bad  as  he  might  be.  The  medi- 
cine he  here  prescribes  might,  after  all,  do  our  patient  good." 

Adrian  had  been  nearer  crying  than  laughing;  he  now 
breathed  a  sigh  of  relief,  but  he  clung  tightly  to  his  step- 
mother's hand,  while  he  once  more  faced  the  doctor  and  list- 
ened eagerly  as  De  Bout  went  on: 

"  Two  parts  of  buckbean,  one  part  of  peppermint,  and  half 
a  part  of  valerian — the  last  especially  for  women — infused  in 
boiling  water.  Drink  a  cupful  cold,  night  and  morning.  Not 
bad — really  not  at  all  bad;  you  have  hit  uj>on  a  good  prescrip- 
tion, my  little  colleague.  However,  I  had  something  else  to 
say  to  you:  my  boys  are  going  this  evening  to  see  the  English 
riders,  and  they  will  be  very  glad  of  your  company  if  you  will 
go  with  them.  You  may  begin  with  this, infusion  at  once." 
The  doctor  bowed  to  the  women  and  went  out.  Barbara  fol- 
lowed him  into  the  street. 

"  Are  you  in  earnest  about  the  prescription?"  she  asked. 

"  Certainly,  certainly,"  said  the  leech.  "  My  grandmother 
was  very  fond  of  using  this  mixture  as  a  cure  for  the  headache, 
and  she  was  a  very  shrewd  woman — take  it  morning  and 
evening,  and  keep  quiet  after  it." 

Henrika  was  lodged  in  a  fresh  and  prettily  furnished  room. 
The  windows  looked  upon  the  quiet  court-yard,  planted  with 
trees,  and  on  the  further  side  stood  the  leather  factory.  She 
was  now  allowed  to  sit  up  part  of  each  day,  propped  with  pil- 
lows, in  an  easy-chair.  Her  soundly  healthy  nature  was  reas- 
serting itself;  she  was  still  weak,  no  doubt,  and  a  pain  on  one 


130  THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE. 

side  of  her  head  made  her  miserable  sometimes  for  whole  days 
and   nights.     Dame  van  der  Werff's  gentle  and  thoughtful 

f>resence  did  her  good,  and  she  liked  to  have  Barbara  about 
ler  too.  with  her  fresh,  wholesome  face,  and  her  simple,  care- 
ful, prompt  ways. 

When  Maria  told  her  of  Adrian's  purchase  she  was  moved 
to  tears;  however,  to  the  boy  himself  she  concealed  her  grate- 
ful feeling  under  a  certain  mockery,  and  greeted  him  with  the 
exclamation: 

"  Ah!  my  preserver — come  closer  and  give  me  your  hand." 
And  after  that  she  would  constantly  call  him  her  preserver; 
or,  as  she  liked  mixing  Italian  words  with  her  Dutch,  "  Sal- 
vatore,"  or  "  Signor  Salvatore."  She  always  had  a  fancy  for 
tailing  the  jieople  she  had  to  do  with  by  some  name  of  her  own 
devising;  thus  she  would  call  Barbara,  whose  name  she  could 
not  endure,  Babetta;  and  little,  fragile,  lovely  Elizabeth, 
whom  she  was  always  delighted  to  have  with  her,  she  named 
the  Elf.  Only  the  burgomaster's  wife  kept  her  own  name  of 
Dame  Maria;  and  when  one  day  in  jest  she  asked  the  reason 
of  such  an  oversight,  Henrika  replied  that  her  name  exactly 
suited  her,  and  that  if  she  had  been  named  Martha  she  would 
probably  have  called  her  Maria. 

This  was  a  good  and  painless  day  with  the  convalescent,  and 
when,  in  the  evening,  Adrian  had  gone  to  see  the  English  rid- 
ing, and  the  scent  of  the  blossoming  limes  and  the  pale  light 
of  the  moon  found  their  way  in  at  her  open  window,  she 
begged  Barbara  not  to  bring  a  lamp,  but  asked  Maria  to  come 
to  sit  with  her  and  chat  in  the  dim  light.  From  talking  of 
Adrian  and  Elizabeth  they  wandered  into  speaking  of  their  own 
childhood.  Henrika  had  grown  up  among  her  father's  boon 
companions,  amid  the  clatter  of  glasses  and  the  cries  of  hunts- 
men; Maria  had  lived  in  a  sober  citizen's  house,  and  what  each 
could  tell  was  to  the  other  like  news  from  another  world. 

"  It  was  easy  enough  for  you  to  grow  up  into  a  tall,  white 
lily  as  you  are  now,"  said  Henrika.  "  But  I  may  thank  the 
saints  that  I  did  no  worse  than  I  have  done;  for  Ave  grew  up 
just  like  weeds;  and,  indeed,  if  I  had  not  always  loved  singing, 
and  if  the  chaplain  had  not  been  such  an  excellent  musician,  I 
should  appear  before  you  worse  than  I  am.  When  will  the 
doctor  let  me  hear  you  sing?" 

"  Some  day  next  week;  but  you  must  not  raise  your  expecta- 
tions too  highly.  You  have  too  high  an  opinion  of  me  in 
everything.  Remember  the  saying  about  still  waters;  here 
they  are  often  far  less  pleasant  at  the  bottom  than  you  would 
expect  from  the  surface. " 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  131 

.  "  Ah,  but  you  have  learned  to  keep  the  surface  calm  when 
the  depths  are  stirred,  and  I  have  not.  Here  a  strange  peace 
has  come  over  me;  whether  I  owe  it  to  my  illness  or  to  the 
atmosphere  that  breathes  in  this  house  1  know  not;  but  how 
long  is  it  since  here  in  my  heart  there  was  a  turmoil  like  the 
sea,  when  the  hissing  waves  tumble  into  dark  abysses  and  the 
sea-mews  scream  and  the  fishermen's  wives  pray  on  the  strand? 
Now  the  waters  are  still.  But  do  not  be  too  terrified  if  some 
day  the  storm  were  to  begin  anew." 

Maria  took  the  excited  girl's  hands  and  held  them  in  her 
own. 

"Gently;  be  calm,  Henrika!"  she  said;  "  you  must  think 
of  nothing  now  but  of  getting  well.  And  I  will  confess  one 
thing:  I  believe  that  every  burden  is  easier  to  be  borne  when — 
like  the  sea  of  which  you  speak — the  sufferer  can  toss  it  impa- 
tiently to  the  surface.  With  me  one  trouble  gets  heaped  upon 
another;  they  lie,  as  it  were,  buried  in  the  sand." 

"  Till  the  wind  blows  and  sweeps  them  away.  I  do  not 
want  to  be  a  prophet  of  evil,  but  some  day,  you  will  see,  you 
will  remember  my  words.  What  a  wild,  reckless  creature  I 
have  been !  Then,  in  a  single  day,  my  very  soul  was  turned 
upside  down. " 

"  Did  some  false  love  wound  your  heart?"  asked  Maria, 
diffidently. 

"No;  it  was  only  what  I  felt  from  false  love  in  others," 
said  Henrika  with  a  bitter  laugh.  "  When  I  was  a  child  my 
heart  was  easily  fluttered,  I  do  not  know  how  often.  First  I 
felt  far  more  than  mere  respect  for  the  one-eyed  chaplain,  our 
music-master,  and  laid  fresh  flowers  in  the  window  for  him 
every  morning,  but  he  never  noticed  them.  Then — I  may 
have  been  about  fifteen — I  returned  the  adoring  glances  of  a 
page  of  Count  Brederode's;  but  he  tried  once  to  be  tender,  and 
felt  my  riding-whip  for  his  pains.  The  next  was  a  tall  young 
baron,  who  would  have  married  me  when  I  was  scarce  sixteen, 
but  he  was  even  deeper  in  debt  than  my  father,  and  so  was 
shown  the  door.  I  did  not  shed  a  tear  for  him:  and  when, 
two  months  later,  at  a  tourney  at  Brussels,  I  saw  Don  Fad- 
rifjue,  the  great  Alva's  son,  I  thought  I  loved  him  as  no  lady 
had  ever  loved  her  Amidis,  although  we  never  got  any  further 
than  looking  at  each  other.  Then  that  storm  burst  of  which 
I  spoke,  and  there  was  an  end  of  all  philandering.  Some  day 
I  will  tell  you  more  about  it  all;  I  need  not  hold  my  tongue, 
for  it  was  no  secret.  Did  you  ever  hear  of  my  sister?  No? 
She  was  older  than  I,  and  a  more  perfect  creature  God  never 
created — and  she  sung !     She  went  to  live  with  my  aunt  who 


132  TITK    BUEGOMASTER'S   WIFE. 

is  just  dead,  and  then —  But  I  must  not  excite  myself  for. 
nothing.  Jn  short,  the  man  die  loved  with  all  her  heart  left 
her  in  misery,  and  my  father  cursed  her  and  would  not  put 
out  even  a-  linger  to  save  her.  I  never  knew  my  mother,  but 
while  I  had  Anna  I  never  missed  her.  Her  fate  opened  my 
eyes  to  the  Mays  of  men.  During  these  last  years  many  a  one 
has  wanted  to  marry  me,  hut  I  had  no  confidence  in  them, 
much  less  love;  for  f  will  have  nothing  more  to  do  with  love." 
"  Till  love  finds  you  napping  one  day/'  replied  Maria. 
"  But  it  would  be  wrong  to  discuss  such  things  with  you  now, 
for  it  excites  you,  and  that  will  not  do.  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  it  does  one  good  to  unburden  one's  heart  now 
and  then.     Did  you  never  love  any  one  but  your  husband?" 

"  Loved — no,  Henrika;  I  never  truly  loved  any  one  but 
him." 

"  And  your  heart  really  waited  to  see  the  burgomaster  be- 
fore it  beat  any  quicker?" 

"  No;  before  that  there  had  been  times  when  it  was  not 
altogether  calm.  I  was  brought  up  among  pleasant  and  intel- 
ligent men,  young  and  old,  and  naturally  I  cared  more  for 
some  than  for  others. " 

"  Ay — and  for  one  most  of  all." 

"  I  will  not  deny  it.  When  my  sister  was  married,  a  friend 
of  my  brother-in-law's,  a  young  German  nobleman,  came  to 
the  wedding  and  remained  with  us  some  weeks.  I  liked  him 
very  much;  indeed,  to  this  day  I  think  kindly  of  him." 

"  And  have  you  never  heard  of  him  since?" 

;'  No;  and  who  can  tell  what  has  become  of  him?  My 
brother-in-law  expected  great  things  of  him,  and  he  certainly 
was  a  rarely  gifted  creature;  but  he  was  recklessly  daring — a 
constant  anxiety  to  his  mother,  I  am  sure." 

"  You  must  tell  me  more  about  him." 

"  To  what  end,  Henrika?" 

"  I  will  not  talk  any  more,  but  I  should  like  to  sit  here  and 
breathe  the  scent  of  the  limes,  and  listen — only  listen. ' ' 

"  No,  you  must  go  to  bed  now.  I  will  help  you,  and  when 
you  have  been  alone  and  quiet  for  an  hour,  I  will  return. " 

"  You  make  me  obey  you,  but  when  my  preserver  comes  in 
bring  him  up  to  me;  he  must  tell  me  all  about  the  English 
riders.  Here  comes  Dame  Babetta  with  his  potion — I  "will 
take  it  regularly,  you  will  see." 

The  lad  came  in  late,  for  he  had  been  enjoying  all  the  de- 
lights of  the  fair  with  the  doctor's  children;  his  visit  to  Hen- 
rika, therefore,  was  strictly  limited.     His  father  he  did  not 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  133 

see  at  all,  for  Van  der  Werff  was  gone  to  a  nocturnal  meeting 
at  the  house  of  the  commissary,  Van  Bronkhorst. 

On  the  next  day  the  fair  would  be  at  an  end,  school  would 
begin  again,  and  Adrian  had  intended  to  finish  his  holiday 
task  this  evening.  But  the  English  horse-riding  had  come  in 
the  way,  and  he  could  not  possibly  appear  before  the  master 
without  his  exercise.  This  he  frankly  confessed  to  his  step- 
mother, and  she  cleared  a  place  for  him  on  the  table  where  she 
sat  sewing,  and  helped  out  the  young  scholar  with  many  a 
word  or  rule  which  she  had  learned  as  a  child  with  her  brother. 

It  wanted  but  half  an  hour  of  midnight  when  Barbara  came 
in  and  said : 

"  Now,  that  must  do.  To-morrow  early,  before  school,  you 
must  finish  what  is  wanting. " 

Without  waiting  for  Maria  to  reply,  she  closed  the  boy's 
books  and  pushed  them  together.  She  was  in  the  very  act  of 
doing  this  when  the  room  seemed  to  shake  from  a  violent 
knocking  at  the  house  door.  Maria  threw  down  her  work  and 
started  from  her  seat,  while  Barbara  exclaimed : 

"  In  Heaven's  name  what  is  that?"  And  Adrian  flew  into 
his  father's  room  and  flung  open  the  window.  The  women 
hastily  followed,  and  before  they  could  question  the  disturber 
of  the  peace,  a  deep  voice  called  up  to  them: 

"  Open  the  door!     I  must  come  in." 

"  "What  is  the  matter?"  asked  Barbara,  who  perceived  in 
the  moonlight  that  it  was  a  soldier.  "  We  can  not  hear  our- 
selves speak;  stoj)  that  knocking." 

"  Call  the  burgomaster,"  cried  the  messenger,  who  had 
knocked  without  ceasing.  "Make  haste,  you  women;  the 
Spaniards  are  coming." 

Barbara  gave  a  loud  scream  and  clasped  her  hands.  Maria 
turned  pale,  but  did  not  lose  her  presence  of  mind. 

"  The  master  is  not  at  home,"  she  replied,  "  but  he  shall  be 
sent  for.     Quick,  Adrian — run  and  tell  your  father." 

The  boy  rushed  down-stairs,  and  in  the  hall  met  Trautchen 
and  the  man-servant,  who  had  jumped  out  of  bed  and  hastily 
thrown  on  some  clothes.  The  old  woman  was  now  endeavor- 
ing, with  trembling  hands,  to  unfasten  the  door.  The  man 
pushed  her  aside,  and  as  soon  as  the  door  creaked  on  its  hinges 
Adrian  flew  out,  and  ran  as  if  for  a  wager  toward  Van  Bronk- 
horst's  house.  He  reached  it  before  any  of  the  other  mes- 
sengers, made  his  way  through  the  open  door  into  the  dining- 
room,  and  breathlessly  shouted  to  the  party  who  were  sitting 
in  council  over  their  wine: 

"  The  Spaniards  are  here," 


134  Tin:   burgomaster's  wife. 

The  men  hurriedly  rose  from  their  seats.  One  proposed  to 
hasten  to  the  Burcht,  another  to  the  town  hall,  and  in  the  ex- 
citement of  the  momenl  they  could  come  to  no  coherent  deris- 
ion; only  Peter  van  der  TVerff  remained  calm,  and  when 
Allertssohn's  messenger  had  come  in  and  told  them  that  the 
captain  and  his  men  were  by  this  time  on  their  way  i<>  Leyder- 
dorp,  the  burgomaster  pointed  out  that  their  first  care  must 
be  directed  to  the  people  who  had  come  into  the  town  for  the 
fair.  He  and  Van  Hunt  undertook  the  duty,  and  before  long 
Adrian  was  standing  with  the  two  men  amid  the  rushing  tide 
of  humanity  roused  from  sleep  by  the  brazen  voice  from  the 
St.  Pancras  tower. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

ADRIAN'S  work  for  that  night  was  not  yet  ended,  for  his 
father  did  not  forbid  his  following  him  to  the  town  hall.  He 
tlun  charged  him  to  go  and  tell  his  mother  that  he  should  be 
detained  there  till  morning,  and  that  any  persons  desiring  to 
speak  with  him  after  the  next  hour  or  so  were  to  be  directed 
by  the  man-servant  to  seek  him  in  the  wood  market  by  the 
Rhine.  His  mother  then  sent  the  boy  back  again  to  ask 
whether  his  father  would  not  have  his  cloak  or  something  to 
cat,  or  wine,  or  some  other  refreshment.  The  lad  executed 
these  errands  with  eager  zeal,  for,  as  he  made  his  way  through 
the  crowds  which  choked  the  narrow  streets,  he  felt  more  im- 
portant than  he  had  ever  felt  before;  he,  too,  had  official  duty 
to  fulfill,  and  at  night,  too,  when  other  boys  were  in  bed  am! 
aslee]},  particularly  his  own  comrades,  who  certainly  would  not 
have  been  allowed  to  be  abroad  at  such  an  hour. 

Besides,  an  exciting  time  might  be  counted  on,  with  tuck  of 
drum,  blare  of  trumpets,  rattle  of  musketry,  and  roar  of 
camion;  he  felt  that  the  game  of  Dutch  and  Spaniards  was 
going  to  be  played  in  earnest  and  on  a  grand  scale.  All  the 
manly  vigor  of  his  age  suddenly  sprung  into  vitality,  and  when 
now  and  then  he  could  elbow  his  way  through  the  throng  to 
some  quiet  space,  he  hurried  onward,  and  sung  out  as  cheerily 
as  if  it  were  some  joyful  announcement: 

"  Here  they  come;  the  Spaniards  are  here;"  or:  "Hanni- 
bal ante  portas." 

After  he  had  learned,  on  his  second  visit  to  the  town-hall, 
that  his  father  needed  nothing,  and  would  send  one  of  the 
ushers  if  he  wanted  anything,  he  considered  himself  released 
from  duty  and  at  liberty  to  indulge  his  curiosity. 

First  he  went  to  the  English  horse-riding.     The  tent  in 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S    WIFE.  135 

which  the  performances  had  been  given  had  vanished  from  the 
face  of  the  earth,  and  men  and  women,  shouting  and  scream- 
ing, were  rolling  up  huge  pieces  of  canvas,  tying  up  bales,  and 
harnessing  the  restive  horses  in  couples;  the  scene  was  lighted 
by  the  dull  flare  of  torches  and  the  white  moonbeams,  showing 
him  a  large  four-wheeled  wagon-house,  and  on  the  narrow  steps 
that  led  up  to  its  door  a  little  girl  i:i  very  poor  clothing,  who 
was  crying  bitterly.  Could  this  be  the  rosy  cherub  who,  flut- 
tering round  on  a  snow-white  horse,  had  appeared  to  him  some 
beatific  creature  from  a  fairer  world?  A  scolding  old  woman 
came  and  lifted  the  child  into  the  little  house  upon  wheels, 
and  Adrian  went  on  his  way,  following  the  jn-ess  of  men.  Then 
he  saw  Dr.  Morpurgo  on  a  bony  nag,  riding  behind  his  chariot, 
no  longer  in  scarlet,  but  in  a  suit  of  dark  cloth.  The  negro 
was  brutally  urging  the  mule  which  dragged  the  vehicle,  but 
his  master  did  not  seem  to  have  lost  his  usual  calm  self  posses- 
sion. His  stock  was  of  small  value,  and  their  lordships  the 
Spaniards  had  no  reason  to  deprive  him  of  his  head,  or  of  the 
tongue  by  which  he  earned  more  than  he  needed. 

Adrian  followed  in  his  wake  as  far  as  the  long  rows  of  booths 
in  the  Breede  Street,  and  there  he  saw  scenes  which  quelled  his 
high  spirits,  and  by  degrees  made  him  understand  that  mat- 
ters were  indeed  serious  and  fit  to  make  men's  hearts  quail. 
He  still  could  laugh  as  he  looked  on  at  the  doings  of  the  ginger- 
bread-maker and  the  yarn-seller,  who  had  been  partners  in  a 
stall,  for  in  their  first  alarm  they  had  tossed  their  parcels  of 
goods  each  into  the  other's  chests,  just  as  they  came  to  hand, 
and  could  now  sort  their  respective  belongings.  But  a  poor 
woman  who  sold  Delft  crockery  at  a  corner  stall  moved  him  to 
compassion,  for  a  heavy  wagon  from  Gouda,  loaded  with  large 
bales,  had  completely  wrecked  her  frail  booth,  and  she  was 
wringing  her  hands  over  the  ruined  possessions,  which  repre- 
sented all  the  fortunes  of  herself  and  her  children,  while  the 
wagon-driver,  never  heeding  her,  cracked  his  whip  to  encour- 
age his  team.  A  little  girl,  who  had  got  herself  lost,  and  was 
being  led  along  by  a  kind-hearted  citizen's  wife,  was  howling 
lamentably.  A  rope-dancer,  who  had  been  robbed  in  the 
press  of  his  little  tin  box  and  his  small  fortune  in  pence,  wan- 
dered about  vainly  seeking  a  guardian  of  the  peace.  A  cob- 
bler thrust  and  stamped  his  stock  of  riding-boots  and  slippers 
and  hanks  of  hempen  thread  into  a  wooden  packing-case, 
while  his  wife  tore  her  hair,  and,  instead  of  helping  him, 
shrieked  at  him:  "  I  knew  it!  I  told  him  so,  you  simpleton — 
you  wiseacre  —  you  blockhead!  They  will  come  and  take 
everything  away  from  us!" 


J3G  THE    BURGOMASTERS   WTFE. 

At  the  turning  into  the  narrow  street  which  leads  to  the 
bridge  by  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Virgin,  nasi  the  house  of  the 
AuBsendelfts,  a  number  of  high-piled  cans  had  got  lucked,  and 
in  their  alarm  the  drivers,  instead  of  getting  down  and  retell- 
ing help,  lei  I  to  scolding  each  other,  including  the  women  and 
children,  who  had  lain  down  on  the  top  of  the  loads.  Their 
cries  and  Lamentations  were  heard  afar,  hut  even  they  were 
presently  drowned,  ior  at  the  north  end  of  the  alley  a  danc- 
ing bear  had  broken  loose,  and  put  every  one  to  flight  that 
happened  to  be  near.  Shrieking  and  hallooing,  the  terrified 
mob  fled  from  the  beast  down  the  street,  sweeping  others  be- 
fore them  who  did  not  know  the  original  cause  of  the  stampede, 
and  thinking  only  of  the  dominant  terror,  shouted:  "  The 
Spaniards!  the  Spaniards!"  Everything  that  stood  in  the  way 
of  this  Hying  rout  was  overturned  on  the  sjwt.  A  child,  stand- 
ing by  a  basket-maker's  cart  which  had  been  upset,  fell  under 
the  feet  of  the  people  close  by  Adrian,  who  had  ensconced 
himself  in  a  door-way;  but  he  could  do  nothing  to  help  the  lit- 
tle fellow,  for  he  was  tightly  squeezed  into  his  corner,  and 
just  then  his  attention  was  diverted  to  a  new  object,  for  Janus 
'jDouser  appeared  on  the  scene,  mounted  on  horseback.  He 
rode  toward  the  panic-stricken  crowd,  and  above  the  cry  of 
"  The  Spaniards,  the  Spaniards!"  he  shouted,  in  piercing 
tones:  "  Peace — be  quiet,  good  folks!  The  enemy  is  not  here 
yet.  Go  to  the  Rhine — go  to  the  river!  There  are  ships  and 
barges  there  for  all  strangers.  There  are  no  Spaniards  there; 
do  you  hear?  no  Spaniards  at  all." 

The  baron  drew  up  just  in  front  of  Adrian,  for  his  horse 
could  get  no  further,  but  chafed  and  fretted  under  his  rider, 
whose  proclamation  had'  but  little  effect;  and  it  was  not  till 
hundreds  of  flying  people  had  hurried  past  him  that  the  scared 
crowd  grew  thinner.  The  bear  from  which  they  had  fled  had 
long  since  been  recaptured  by  some  brewer's  men  and  led  back 
to  his  owner.  The  town  watch  now  appeared,  with  Van  der 
Werff  at  their  head;  and  the  boy  followed  them  unobserved  as 
far  as  the  timber  market  on  the  southern  bank  of  the  Rhine. 
There  he  was  met  by  another  bustling  swarm,  for  numbers  of 
dealers  had  assembled  there  to  stow  their  goods  on  board  ship. 
Men  and  women  were  scrambling  among  the  bales  and  cases 
which  were  being  rolled  or  pitched  into  the  barges.  A  woman 
and  child  with  a  rope-maker's  barrow  had  been  pushed  into 
the  water,  and  the  loudest  turmoil  had  centered  round  them; 
but  the  burgomaster  was  on  the  spot  at  the  right  moment, 
directed  the  rescue  of  the  drowning  wretches,  and  did  his 
utmost  to  reduce  the  confusion  to  order.     The  watch  were 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE.  137 

ordered  only  to  allow  the  fugitives  to  pass  on  to  the  boats  which 
were  starting  for  the  towns  they  belonged  to;  two  gangways 
were  thrown  across  to  each  barge — one  for  goods,  one  for  pas- 
sengers; and  the  town  criers  were  ordered  to  proclaim — and  it 
was  in  fact  prescribed  by  law — that  at  the  sound  of  the  alarm- 
bell  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  should  retire  within  doors, 
and  not  appear  in  the  streets  under  a  severe  penalty.  All  the 
town  gates  might  be  opened  for  the  exit  of  vehicles,  with  the 
exception  of  the  Hoogewoerde  Gate,  which  led  to  Leyderdoryj. 
Thus,  presently  the  streets  were  cleared,  the  crowd  reduced  to 
order,  and  by  the  time  Adrian  reached  home  and  dawn  was 
breaking  the  town  was  almost  as  quiet  as  on  ordinary  nights. 

His  mother  and  Barbara  had  been  anxious  about  him;  how- 
ever, he  was  able  to  tell  them  he  had  seen  his  father,  who  had 
quelled  the  tumult  under  his  very  eyes.  Even  while  he  was 
still  speaking  they  heard  gunshots,  and  this  excited  the  lad  to 
such  a  pitch  that  all  he  asked  was  to  run  out  again;  but  his 
mother  held  him  back,  and  he  had  to  submit  to  go  up  to  his 
room.  Still  he  would  not  go  to  bed,  but  clambered  up  to  the 
highest  loft  in  the  gable  of  the  warehouse  at  the  back,  and 
there,  through  the  opening  which  was  used  for  hauling  up  the 
bales  of  leather,  he  could  look  to  the  east,  where  firing  was 
still  to  be  heard.  He  could,  however,  see  nothing  but  the  rosy 
dawn  and  thin  clouds  of  smoke  which  floated  upward,  tinged, 
with  the  glow  of  the  coming  sun.  Presently,  as  nothing  new 
was  to  be  seen,  his  eyes  closed;  he  fell  asleep  by  the  open  win- 
dow, and  dreamed  of  a  bloody  battle  and  of  the  English  riders. 
He  slept  so  soundly  that  he  did  not  hear  the  clatter  of  wheels, 
which  before  long  came  up  from  the  court-yard  below.  It  was 
caused  by  the  carts  of  various  dealers  from  neighboring  towns, 
who  preferred  leaving  their  property  in  the  threatened  city  to 
risking  its  conveyance  through  the  invading  Spanish  troops, 
and  Master  Peter  had  permitted  some  of  these  to  deposit  their 
goods  on  his  premises.  The  carts  were  to  be  admitted  through 
the  outbuildings  and  workshops,  and  such  wares  as  might 
suffer  from  exposure  to  the  weather  were  to  be  put  under  shel- 
ter, in  the  course  of  the  day,  in  the  large  rooms  on  the  ground- 
floor. 

At  midnight  Maria  had  gone  to  Henrika  to  reassure  her; 
but  the  convalescent  had  betrayed  no  sort  of  anxiety,  and 
when  she  heard  that  tbe  Spanish  were  marching  on  the  town, 
a  bright  gleam  of  satisfaction  sparkled  in  her  eyes.  Maria  saw 
it  and  tinned  away;  she  refrained  from  speaking  the  sharp 
words  that  rose  to  her  lips,  and  merely  bidding  the  girl  good- 
night, she  left  the  room. 


138  TJIK  burgomaster's  wife. 

Henrika  looked  after  her  thoughtfully,  and  then  sat  up  in 
bed.  for  on  Buch  a  nighl  sleep  was  out  of  the  question.  The 
alarm-bell  of  St.  Pancras's  tower  did  not  cease,  and  more  than 

once  a  door   slanuned;  she  heard  voiees    below,  and  presently 

distant  tiring.  Noises  and  murmurs  which  she  could  assign  to 
no  definite  cause  crowded  on  her  ear,  and  as  the  day  grew 

there,  was  ceaseless  bustle  under  her  window  and  in  the  house 
that  was  usually  so  still.  Her  impatience  and  curiosity  in- 
creased every  minute,  and  she  listened  so  eagerly  that  her  head 
began  to  ache  again;  but  she  could  only  catch  a  few  words, 
and  those  not  distinctly.  Had  the  town  surrendered  to  the 
Spaniards?  Had  some  of  King  Philip's  soldiers  found  quarters 
in  the  burgomaster's  house?  Her  blood  boiled  for  a  moment 
when  she  thought  of  the  triumph  of  the  Castilians  and  the 
humiliation  of  her  native  land;  .but  then  again  a  pleasanter 
excitement  came  over  her,  for  in  fancy  she  saw  the  bare  walls 
of  the  churches,  which  had  been  stripped  of  every  ornament, 
once  more  decorated  by  art;  chanting  processions  march  through 
the  streets,  and  high  mass  celebrated  by  priests  in  splendid 
robes  before  newly  decked  altars,  with  fine  music,  incense,  and 
the  tinkling  of  tuueful  bells.  She  expected  that  the  Spanish 
rule  should  restore  an  Established  Church,  in  which  she  could 
pray  in  her  own  way  and  relieve  her  soul  by  confession.  All 
through  her  former  life  she  had  known  no  secure  foothold,  no 
sure  hold-fast  but  her  religion.  A  most  worthy  priest  had  been 
her  teacher,  and.  he  had  clone  his  utmost  to  impress  upon  her 
that  the  new  doctrines  threatened  to  destroy  all  the  mystical 
solemnities  of  life,  all  craving  for  beauty,  every  ideal  aspiration 
of  the  human  soul,  and  even  art  itself;  and  so  Henrika  wished 
that  her  country  might  be  Sj)anish  and  Catholic  rather  than 
free  from  the  foreign  yoke— though  she  hated  it — at  the  cost 
of  being  Calvinist. 

By  degrees  the  noise  in  the  court-yard  died  away;  but  as  the 
first  beams  of  day  fell  upon  her  window-pane  the  stir  below 
began  again,  busier  and  louder  than  ever.  Heavy  shoes  clat- 
tered on  the  pavement,  and  among  the  confusion  of  voices  she 
fancied  she  could  recognize  those  of  Maria  and  Barbara.  Yes, 
she  was  not  mistaken;  that  cry  of  dismay  was  certainly  ut- 
tered by  her  friend,  and  it  was  followed  by  tones  of  bitter 
lamentation  in  a  man's  voice,  and  loud  sobs.  Some  bad  news 
must  have  reached  her  friends,  for  certainly  the  woman  she 
heard  weeping  so  violently  was  worthy  Dame  Babetta. 

She  longed  to  be  up;  on  the  table  by  her  bed,  with  some 
vials  and  glasses,  and  the  night-lamp  and  tinder-box,  stood  a 
little  bell,  whose  lightest  tinkle  had  hitherto  never  failed  to 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  139 

bring  her  nurses  to  her  at  once.  Three  times  Henrika  rung 
it,  and  again  and  yet  again,  but  no  one  came.  Her  hasty 
blood  rose,  and,  half  in  impatience  and  vexation,  half  in  curiosity 
and  sympathy,  she  slipped  on  her  shoes  and  her  wrapper. 
Then  she  went  to  the  seat  which  stood  on  the  step  by  the  win- 
dow, opened  the  casement,  and  looked  down  on  the  group  close 
below.  No  one  noticed  her,  for  the  men  who  had  collected 
and  who  looked  mournful,  and  the  women  all  in  tears — among 
them  Maria  and  Barbara — were  listening  with  every  mark  of 
sympathy  to  the  eager  speech  of  a  young  man,  and  had  no  eyes 
nor  ears  for  anything  else.  Henrika  recognized  the  speaker 
as  Wilhelm,  the  organist,  but  only  by  his  voice,  for  the  hel- 
met that  covered  his  curls,  and  his  cuirass  stained  with  blood, 
gave  the  unpretending  musician  a  warlike,  nay,  a  heroic  as- 
pect. 

He  was  already  far  advanced  in  his  narrative  when  Henrika, 
though  unperceived,  became  one  of  his  audience. 

"  Yes,  master,"  he  said,  in  answer  to  some  question  from 
the  burgomaster,  "  we  were  following  them,  but  suddenly  they 
vanished  into  the  village  again,  and  all  was  quiet.  It  would 
have  been  sheer  madness  to  think  of  storming  the  houses,  so 
we  kejDt  close;  but  at  about  two  o'clock  we  heard  shots  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Leyderdorp.  '  The  Baron  van  Warmond  has 
forced  his  way  out!'  cried  the  captain,  as  he  led  us  in  the 
direction  of  the  firing.  That  was  just  what  the  Spaniards 
wanted,  for  long  before  we  had  reached  the  spot,  in  the  gloam- 
ing, a  company  of  Castilians  jumped  up  from  a  ditch  with 
white  shrouds  over  their  armor,  fell  upon  their  knees,  mut- 
tered a  Pater  Noster,  shouted  Sant  Jago,  and  rushed  upon  us. 
We  had  seen  them  in  time,  however,  so  the  halberdiers  could 
have  their  pikes  ready,  and  the  musketeers  could  lay  their 
matchlocks  down  on  the  ground.  So  the  Spaniards  met  with 
a  warm  reception,  and  four  of  them  fell  in  the  attack.  We 
were  stronger  in  numbers  than  they  were,  and  their  captain 
retreated  in  good  order  to  their  ditch.  There  they  remained, 
for  their  work  was  done;  they  were  only  to  detain  us,  and  then 
leave  us  to  be  cut  off  by  a  stronger  corps.  We  were  too  weak 
to  drive  them  out  of  their  position,  and  when  it  was  growing 
light  in  the  east  and  still  they  would  not  come  out,  our  captain 
went  toward  them  with  a  white  handkerchief  displayed  and 
the  drummer  playing,  and  called  to  them  in  Italian,  of  which 
he  had  learned  a  little  in  Lombard y,  that  he  wished  the  gentle- 
men a  very  good-morning,  and  if  there  should  be  among  them 
an  officer  with  a  grain  of  honor  in  his  composition,  he  might 
come  forth  and  cross  swords  with  a  captain  who  wished  for  th« 


J40  THE    BURGOMASTEB'fl    WIPE. 

opportunity.  He  pledged  his  word  that  his  men  should  look 
on  al  the  duel  without  interfering,  be  the  issue  what  it  might. 
On  this  two  shots  were  fired  from  the  ditch,  and  the  bullets 
barely  missed  our  poor  master.  We  shouted  to  him  to  save 
his  own  life,  bu1  he  did  oofc  stir,  only  shouted  to  them  that 
they  were  milk-sops  and  assassins  like  their  king. 

*•  Meanwhile  it  had  become  pretty  light;  we  could  hear  them 
talking  in  their  ambush,  and  just  as  Allertssohn  was  about  to 
turn  on  his  heel,  an  officer  leaped  up  on  to  the  hank  and  cried 
out:  '  Stand,  braggart,  and  hold  your  own!'  The  captain 
drew  his  Brescia  blade,  bowed  to  his  antagonist  just  as  if  he 
were  in  the  fencing-ground,  tried  his  steel,  and  measured  it 
with  the  Spaniard's.  He  was  a  lean-made  man  and  very  tall, 
and,  as  it  soon  appeared,  a  dangerous  swordsman.  He  whisked 
round  our  captain  with  cuts,  thrusts,  and  feints,  but  Allerts- 
sohn kept  quite  cool,  and  at  first  confined  himself  to  panying. 
Then  he  engaged  the  Spaniard's  hladein  carte,  as  his  opponent 
parried  followed  in  tierce,  and  then,  as  quick  as  lightning  with 
a  longe  in  seeonde,  such  as  he  alone  knew  how  to  deal,  the 
Castilian  fell  on  his  knees,  for  the  Brescia  blade  was  through 
his  lungs,  and  in  a  few  seconds  he  was  dead.  No  sooner  was 
he  stretched  on  the  grass  than  the  Spaniards  rushed  out  on  us 
again,  hut  we  drove  them  back  once  more,  carrying  the  dead 
body  with  us.  So  proud  and  gay  as  at  that  moment  was  our 
captain  never  seen.  You,  Jonker  van  Warmond,  can  easily 
guess  the  reason.  He  had  at  last  done  justice  to  his  famous 
hotte  in  single  combat  for  life  or  death  with  an  opponent  of 
equal  skill;  he  said  to  me  that  the  morning  had  brought  him 
luck,  and  ordered  us  to  surround  the  ditch  and  take  the  enemy 
in  flank.  But  hardly  had  we  began  to  move  when  the  expect- 
ed corps  marched  out  of  Leyderdorp.  Their  loud  '  Sant  J  ago  ' 
rung  out  afar,  and  at  the  same  time  our  old  foe  jumped  out  of 
the  ditch  and  renewed  the  onslaught.  Allertssohn  rushed 
upon  them,  but  he  never  reached  them.  Ah!  master,  I  shall 
never  forget  it — a  bullet  brought  him  to  the  ground  by  my 
side.  It  must  have  pierced  his  heart,  for  he  said  never  a  word 
but:  '  Take  care  of  the  boy!'  and  then  he  stretched  out  his 
long  limbs  and  was  dead.  We  wanted  to  bring  him  away,  but 
we  were  pressed  by  numbers,  and  it  was  as  much  as  we  could 
do  to  retire  in  miserable  disorder  within  cover  of  the  guns  of 
the  Jonker's  volunteers.  The  Spaniards  dared  not  pursue  us 
so  far.  So  here  we  are.  The  body  of  the  Castilian  is  lying  in 
the  towei-  by  the  Hoogewoerde  Gate.  Here  are  the  papers  wre 
found  upon  him,  and  here  is  his  ring;  he  had  a  proud  coat  of 
arms  for  his  signet." 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S    WIFE.  141 

Peter  van  der  Werff  took  the  letter-case  in  his  hand  and 
glanced  through  the  contents;  then  he  said: 

"  His  name  was  Don  Luis  d'Avila. " 

But  he  said  no  more,  for  his  wife  had  just  observed  Hen- 
rika's  head  stretched  far  out  of  the  window,  and,  startled  to 
see  her,  called  out  in  dismay: 

"Mistress!  for  Heaven's  sake,  mistress,  what  are  you  do- 
ing?" 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Dame  van  der  Werff  was  anxious  on  Henrika's  account, 
but  the  young  lady  nodded  to  her  with  unwonted  cheerfulness, 
and  met  her  mild  remonstrances  with  the  assurance  that  the 
fine  morning  had  done  her  good.  Providence,  she  said,  was 
just  in  its  dealings,  and  if  it  were  true  that  confidence  in  re- 
covery was  a  help  to  the  physician,  Dr.  Bontius  would  now 
have  an  easy  patient  to  deal  with.  The  Spaniard  whom  Al- 
lertssohn  had  killed  could  be  none  other  than  the  wretch  who 
had  dragged  Anna  into  misery.  Maria  left  her,  astonished 
but  quite  easy  about  her,  and  went  to  tell  her  husband  how  she 
had  found  the  invalid,  and  of  the  connection  which — as  it 
would  seem — had  existed  between  the  dead  Spanish  officer  and 
Henrika  and  her  sister.  Peter  listened  to  her  with  only  half 
his  attention,  and  as  soon  as  Barbara  had  brought  him  a  fresh- 
ly plaited  rouff,  he  interrupted  his  wife  in  the  midst  of  her 
story  by  handing  her  the  Castilian's  letter-case  and  saying: 

"  There,  let  her  convince  herself;  and  give  me  the  portfolio 
back  this  evening.  I  am  not  likely  to  be  home  to  dinner;  in 
the  course  of  the  day  you  will  try  to  see  poor  Allertssohn's 
widow?" 

"  Of  course  I  will,"  she  said,  eagerly;  "  and  whom  will  you 
put  in  his  place?" 

"  That  the  prince  must  decide." 

"  And  have  you  thought  of  any  way  of  keeping  up  com- 
munications with  Delft,  in  spite  of  the  enemy?" 

"  On  your  mother's  account?" 

"  Not  for  that  alone.  Rotterdam  also  lies  to  the  south  of 
us.  Now,  from  Haarlem  and  Amsterdam — from  the  north, 
in  short — we  have  nothing  to  look  for,  for  everything  is  in  the 
hands  of  the  Spaniards." 

"  I  will  procure  you  a  seat  at  the  Council  of  War.  What 
makes  you  so  wondrous  wise?" 

"Well,  everyone  must  have  his  own  thoughts,  and  it  is 
surely  quite  natural  that,  with  you,  I  should  look  into  the  f  ut- 


142  THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE. 

are  with  my  eyes  open  rather  than  blindfold.  Have  they 
availed  themselves  of  the  English  regiment  to  secure  the  works 
by  the  old  canal?    The  Kaak,  too,  is  an  important  point." 

Peter  Looked  at  his  wife  with  astonishment^  and  the  feeling 
came  over  him  which  troubles  an  unready  writer  when  some 
one  unexpectedly  looks  over  his  shoulder.  She  hud  hit  upon 
a  blot,  a  serious  and  momentous  oversight,  which,  to  be  .sure, 
did  not  wholly  rest  with  him;  but,  as  he  certainly  did  not 
choose  to  be  answerable  to  her,  and  perhaps  would  have  found 
it  difficult  to  justify  himself,  he  did  not  reply,  and  simply  say- 
ing: "  These  are  men's  affairs — till  this  evening/'  lie  went 
past  Barbara  and  toward  the  door. 

Maria  did  not  know  how  she  found  courage,  but  before  he 
had  laid  his  hand  on  the  lock  she  had  collected  herself  suffi- 
ciently to  call  out  to  him: 

"  Will  you  leave  me  so,  Peter?  Is  that  fair?  What  did  you 
promise  me  on  your  return  from  your  journey  to  see  the 
prince?" 

"  I  know — I  know,"  he  said,  impatiently.  "But  no  man 
can  serve  two  masters,  and  in  these  anxious  days  I  entreat  you 
not  to  trouble  me  with  questions  and  matters  that  do  not  con- 
cern you.  To  manage  the  affairs  of  the  town  is  my  business; 
you  have  your  sick  friend,  the  children,  the  poor — be  satisfied 
with  these." 

And  without  waiting  for  an  answer  he  left  the  room,  while 
she  looked  after  him,  silent  and  motionless.  Barbara  gazed 
at  her  for  a  moment  anxiously,  but  without  sjjeaking.  Then 
she  busied  herself  with  the  papers  on  her  brother's  writing- 
table,  muttering  half  to  herself,  but  still  turning  to  her  sister- 
in-law: 

.  "  These  are  bad  times  indeed,  and  each  of  us  may  thank 
God  that  he  has  not  such  a  burden  to  bear  as  Peter.  He  is  re- 
sponsible for  everything,  and  with  a  hundred-weight  tied  to  each 
leg,  who  could  dance  lightly,  I  wonder?  A  better  heart  beats 
in  no  man's  breast,  and  not  an  honester  soul  lives.  How  the 
market-folk  blessed  his  foresight!  It  is  in  a  storm  that  you 
know  the  pilot's  worth,  and  when  the  fray  was  at  the  thickest 
Peter  Mas  greatest.  He  knows  full  well  what  lies  before  him, 
but  these  last  weeks  have  made  him  years  older.  We  must 
overlook  a  great  deal,  I  think." 

Maria  nodded  assent,  and  Barbara  quitted  the  room ;  but  in 
a  few  minutes  she  returned  and  said,  kindly: 

"  You  look  but  poorly,  child;  just  come  and  lie  down 
awhile.  An  hour's  sleep  is  better  than  three  meals,  and  a 
night  like  last  night  is  bound  to  leave  its  traces  at  your  age. 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S    WIFE.  1-43 

The  sun  shines  so  brightly  that  I  have  drawn  the  curtains  over 
the  windows,  and  I  have  made  your  bed.  Now,  be  reasonable 
and  do  as  you  are  bid.'' 

With  these  words  she  took  Maria's  baud  and  drew  her  away. 
Maria  did  not  resist,  and  although  when  she  was  alone  she 
could  not  keep  back  her  tears,  she  was  soon  overmastered  by 
sleep. 

She  woke  greatly  refreshed,  and,  having  changed  her  dress, 
she  betook  herself  about  noon  to  Allertssohn's  house.  Her 
heart  was  heavy,  and  self-pity  had  once  more  taken  possession 
of  her.  Eva,  "  Peter's  daughter,"  the  fencing-master's 
widow,  a  quiet,  humble  creature,  whom  she  hardly  knew  by 
sight,  refused  to  be  seen;  she  was  weeping  alone  in  her  room, 
but  at  the  house  Maria  found  the  musician,  who  was  trying  to 
speak  words  of  comfort  to  the  son  of  his  lost  friend,  and  had 
promised  to  take  him  under  his  own  teaching  and  make  a  good 
musician  of  him.  Dame  van  der  Werff  sent  up  a  message 
begging  the  widow  to  see  her  the  following  day,  and  then  she 
and  Wilhelm  left  the  house.  The  street  was  full  of  citizens, 
apprentices,  and  women,  standing  together  in  knots  and  dis- 
cussing the  events  of  the  night  and  the  imminent  danger:  and 
MariaVas  several  times  interrupted  as  she  was  telling  Wil- 
helm who  the  fallen  Spaniard  was,  and  that  Henrika  wished  to 
speak  with  him — the  musician — as  soon  as  possible,  for  then- 
progress  was  checked,  now  by  a  company  of  volunteers  or  a 
troop  of  the  town  guard  on  their  way  to  relieve  the  watch  -on 
the  bastions  and  walls,  and  now  by  cannon  that  was  being 
transported.  Was  it  the  anticipation  of  coming  events,  or  was 
it  the  rattle  of  drums  and  the  trumpet  blast,  that  so  agitated 
her  companion  as  to  make  him  clasp  his  forehead  in  his  hands, 
and  more  than  once  compel  her  to  beg  him  to  moderate  his 
pace?  And  there  was  something  unusual  and  constrained  in 
his  voice  as  he  told  her,  in  answer  to  her  questions,  that  the 
Spaniards  had  come  by  the  Amstel,  the  Drecht,  and  the 
Bi-aasemer,  by  ship,  and  so  into  the  Rhine,  and  then  landed  at 
Leyderdorj). 

He  was  interrupted  in  his  explanation  by  a  mounted  mes- 
srnge'r  wearing  the  prince's  colors,  and  followed  by  a  crowd, 
not  merely  of  children,  but  of  hurrying  men,  eager  to  reach 
the  town  hall  as  soon  as  he;  but  as  soon  as  the  throng  was 
past  Maria  began  again  to  ply  her  companion  with  questions. 
The  warlike  turmoil,  the  firing— audible  in  the  distance — the 
gaudy  uniforms  of  the  soldiers,  which  were  everywhere  con- 
spicuous instead  of  the  sober  suits  of  the  citizens — all  worked 
her  up  to  a  high  pitch  of  excitement,  and  all  that  she  heard 


144  THE    BIROOMASTER'S   "WIFE. 

IViini  Wilhelm  was  little  calculated  to  soothe  it.  The  chief 
strength  of  the  Spaniards  was  posted  on  the  road  to  the  Hague. 
The  Blockade  of  the  town  was  already  begun,  but  the  enemy 
could  hardly  make  it  complete,  for  the  English  auxiliaries  who 
were  to  defend  the  new  fort  at  Valkenburg,  the  village  of 
Alfen,  and  the  sluices  of  Gonda,  were  entirely  to  be  relied  on. 
Wilhelm  himself  had  seen  the  English  forces,  their  command- 
ers. Colonel  Chester  and  Captain  GensfQrth,  and  was  full  of 
the  praises  of  their  splendid  equipment  and  handsome  appear- 
ance. 

At  her  own  door  Maria  was  about  to  take  leave  of  her  com- 
panion, but  he  begged  to  be  allowed  to  speak  with  Mistress 
Henrika  at  once,  and  could  hardly  be  persuaded  that  he  must 
have  patience  until  the  physician  had  given  his  consent. 

At  dinner,  Adrian — who  was  always  ready  to  chatter  when 
his  father  was  not  present  at  the  meal — told  them  of  all  he 
had  himself  seen,  as  well  as  the  news  and  rumors  he  had  been 
able  to  pick  up  at  school  or  in  the  streets;  and  his  communi- 
cativeness was  not  a  little  encouraged  by  his  mother's  eager 
questions. 

A  great  unrest  had  fallen  upon  the  burgomaster's  wife. 
Her  enthusiasm  in  the  cause  of  freedom — a  cause  to  which 
those  nearest  and  dearest  to  her  had  fallen  victims — blazed  up 
anew,  and  wrath  against  the  oppressors  of  her  country  seethed 
hotly  in  her  breast.  This  tender,  maidenly  souled  woman,  in 
daily  life  so  reserved,  so  incapable  of  loud  or  bitter  utterance 
of  feeling,  was  now  capable  of  mounting  the  ramparts,  and, 
like  Kenau  Hasselaar  of  Haarlem,  of  facing  the  foe  as  stoutly 
as  the  men.  Her  wounded  pride  and  all  the  emotions  which, 
only  an  hour  since,  had  weighed  upon  her  spirit,  sunk  into 
nothingness  as  compared  with  her  sympathy  for  her  country's 
cause.  Inspired  with  new  courage  for  life,  she  went  up  to  Hen- 
rika's  room,  and,  after  lighting  the  lamp,  as  it  was  by  this 
time  growing  dark,  she  sat  down  to  write  to  her  mother;  this 
she  had  postponed  doing  since  the  sick  girl's  arrival,  and  the 
communication  with  Deli'i  might  at  any  moment  be  cut  off. 
As  she  read  the  letter  through  before  closing  it,  she  felt  satis- 
fied with  it  and  with  herself,  for  it  breathed  brave  confidence 
in  the  triumph  of  the  good  cause,  and  expressed  fully  and 
freely  how  cheerfully  ready  she  herself  was  to  suffer  the  worst 
that  might  befall. 

Barbara  had  already  gone  to  bed  when  Peter  at  last  came  in. 
He  was  so  tired  out  that  he  could  hardly  touch  the  food  that 
had  been  kept  ready  for  him.  While  he  was  trying  to  eat  he 
confirmed  all  that  Maria  had  already  heard  from  the  musician, 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  145 

and  was  gentle  and  affectionate;  but  his  looks  grieved  her,  for 
she  remembered  Barbara's  allusion  to  the  heavy  burden  he  had 
to  bear.  This  evening,  for  the  first  time,  she  saw  two  deep 
lines  which  care  had  engraved  between  his  eyes  and  mouth, 
and  filled  with  tender  solicitude,  she  went  up  behind  him,  laid 
her  hands  on  his  cheeks,  and  kissed  his  forehead.  He  started 
slightly,  and  grasping  her  slender  hand  so  tightly  that  she 
almost  winced,  pressed  it  to  his  lips  and  eyes,  where  he  held  it 
for  some  minutes.  At  last  he  rose  and  led  the  way  to  bed,  bid 
her  an  affectionate  good-night,  and  lay  down.  By  the  time 
she  was  ready  he  was  sleeping  heavily;  utter  weariness  had 
overpowered  him  instantly.  But  neither  of  them  could  sleep 
calmly  that  night,  and  as  often  as  she  woke  she  heard  him 
sighing  and  moaning.  She  would  not  stir  for  fear  of  scaring 
away  the  sleep  he  so  sorely  needed,  and  twice  she  even  held 
her  breath  as  she  heard  him  muttering  to  himself.  Once  he 
said  in  a  low  voice:  "It  is  too  much,  too  much,"  and  then 
again:  "  If  only  I  can  bear  it!" 

When  she  awoke  in  the  morning  he  had  already  quitted  the 
room  and  was  gone  to  the  town  council.  At  noon  he  returned 
with  the  news  that  the  Spaniards  had  entered  the  Hague,  and 
had  been  hailed  and  Avelcomed  there  by  the  miserable  rene- 
gades. The  stanch  patriots  and  the  Gueux  had,  happily,  had 
time  enough  to  escape  to  Delft,  for  the  heroic  Nikolas  Ruich- 
haver  had  succeeded  in  keeping  the  enemy  in  check  for  some 
time  at  Geestburg.  The  western  side  was  still  open,  and  the 
Valkenburg,  newly  fortified  and  garrisoned  by  the  English, 
would  not  be  easily  stormed.  At  Alfen,  to  the  east,  the  other 
British  auxiliaries  lay  to  the  rear  of  the  Spaniards. 

The  burgomaster  told  her  all  this  unquestioned;  still,  not  so 
fully  and  naturally  as  he  would  have  done  to  men.  He  paused 
in  his  speech  many  times  and  gazed  into  his  plate.  It  was 
evidently  an  effort  to  him  to  speak  of  such  matters  as  he  was 
used  to  discuss  only  with  his  colleagues,  before  women,  chil- 
dren, and  servants.  Maria  listened  to  him  attentively,  but  she 
modestly  restrained  her  own  observations,  and  only  encouraged 
him  to  talk  by  affectionate  glances  and  sympathetic  exclama- 
tions, while  Barbara  rashly  plied  him  with  one  question  after 
another. 

They  had  nearly  finished  their  meal  when  the  Jonker  van 
Warmond  entered  the  room  unannounced,  and  begged  the 
burgomaster  to  come  with  him  at  once,  as  Colonel  Chester 
was  standing  at  the  "White  Gate  with  a  detachment  of  the  En- 
glish troops,  and  craved  to  be  admitted  to  the  town.     At  this 


1  k;  the    burgomaster's  "WIFE. 

news,  refer  angrily  sei  his  tankard  down  on  the  table,  started 
up  and  left  the  room,  leaving  Van  Warmond  (o  follow. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  the  house  of  the  Van  der  Werffs  was 
full  of  visiters.  The  gossips  came  in  to  discuss  the  proceed- 
ings ;ii  the  White  Gate  with  Dame  Barbara;  Burgomatser  van 
Swieten's  wife  had  learned  from  her  husband  himself  thai  the 
English  had  surrendered  the  fine  new  Eort  of  Valkenburg,  and 
taken  to  their  heels  at  the  mere  sight  of  the  Spaniards.  The 
enemy  had  marched  across  the  dunes  to  Nbrdwyk,  and  it  would 
have  been  quite  easy  for  the  British  to  hold  so  strong  a  posi- 
tion. The  English  were  now  demanding  to  be  let  into  the 
town  itself;  but  Dame  van  Hout  asserted  that  the  members  of 
the  Council,  more  especially  Van  der  Werff  and  her  husband, 
were  doing  their  utmost  to  prevent  this.  All  the  women  very 
decidedly  expressed  their  objection  to  see  five  hundred  more 
food-consumers  quartered  in  the  town,  and  blamed  the  prince's 
commissary,  who  was  said  to  hold  opposite  views,  and  to  wish 
that  the  gates  should  be  opened  to  the  English  contingent. 
Dame  van  Swieten,  meanwhile,  had  sat  in  silence,  playing  with 
the  cat  and  listening  to  the  others,  but  she  now  said,  with  an 
n  lTppfpd  sniilo  * 

"  Believe  me,  it  will  be  all  the  same  whether  we  admit  our 
foreign  allies  or  not;  for  before  the  raspberries  are  ripe  in  the 
garden  all  idea  of  resistance  will  be  at  an  end." 
'  Maria,  who  was  offering  them  cakes  and  spiced  wine,  at 
these  words  set  her  tray  on  the  table  and  said: 

"Is  that  your  wish,  Dame  Magtelt?" 

"  It  is  my  wish/'  was  the  very  decided  answer;  "  and  many 
sensible  people  wish  the  same.  Resistance  is  impossible  against 
such  overpowering  numbers;  the  sooner  we  appeal  to  the 
king's  clemency,  the  more  surely  will  it  be  extended  to  us." 

The  other  women  listened  speechless  to  the  utterances  of  the 
audacious  Magtelt,  but  Maria  stepped  toward  her  and  answered 
wrathf  ully : 

"  Whoever  says  that  has  only  to  go  over  at  once  to  the 
Spaniards— whoever  says  that,  desires  nothing  but  the  dis- 
grace of  the  town  and  of  the  country — whoever  says  that — " 
'  Magtelt  interrupted  Maria  with  a  forced  laugh,  exclaiming: 
"  Indeed,  Dame  Precocity!  And  are  you  going  to  take  your 
seniors  to  task?    And  is  it  usual  to  attack  a  visitor  in  this 

fierce  way?" 

"Usual  or  not,"  retorted  the  other,  "  I  will  never  allow 
such  words  to  be  spoken  in  my  house;  and  if  it  were  from  my 
own  sister's  lips  I  would  say:  Go,  you  are  no  friend  of  mine!" 

Maria's  voice  trembled,    and   with   outstretched   arm  she 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE.  147 

pointed  to  the  door.  Dame  Magtelt  struggled  to  be  calm,  but 
as  she  quitted  the  room  she  could  find  no  further  utterance 
than : 

"  Never  mind!  never  mind!  But  you  will  never  see  me  here 
again. " 

Barbara  followed  the  offended  lady,  and  those  who  remained 
sat  with  their  eyes  in  their  laps;  but  Wilhelm's  mother  was 
delighted. 

"  Well  done,  little  woman!  well  done!"  she  exclaimed. 
Friendly  Dame  van  Hout  put  her  arm  round  the  young  wom- 
an and  kissed  her  forehead,  whispering  at  the  same  time : 

There,  turn  your  back  on  the  others  and  wipe  your  eyes/3 


.. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

A  story  is  told  of  a  condemned  criminal  who  was  cast  by  a 
barbarous  tyrant  into  a  dungeon  of  ingenious  construction. 
Each  day  the  walls  of  his  cell  shrunk  in  extent,  each  day  they 
closed  in  upon  the  helpless  wretch,  till  he  gave  up  the  ghost 
in  despair,  and  his  prison  became  his  grave.  In  the  same  way 
the  iron  circle  of  Spanish  regiments  was  every  hour  drawn 
more  tightly  and  closely  round  the  walls  of  Leyden;  and  if  at 
last  they  should  succeed  in  breaking  the  resistance  of  their  vic- 
tims a  fate  more  hideous  and  relentless  than  that  which  had 
overtaken  that  prisoner  would  overwhelm  the  town.  The 
blockade  which  Valdez,  King  Philip's  field-marshal,  and  his 
skillful  lieutenant,  Don  Ayala,  had  effected  in  little  more  than 
two  days  was  now  almost  complete;  the  outpost  of  Valken- 
burg,  which  had  been  so  carefully  strengthened,  was  in  posses- 
sion of  the  enemy;  and  the  danger  had  altogether  swept  down 
upon  them  far  more  swiftly  and  irresistibly  than  the  most  de- 
spondent of  the  inhabitants  had  conceived  possible.  If  Leyden 
should  be  taken,  its  buildings  would  fall  a  prey  to  the  flames 
and  to  rapine;  its  men  would  be  butchered;  its  women  dis- 
honored. The  fate  of  other  places  and  the  character  of  the 
►Spaniards  were  only  too  sure  a  warranty  for  that. 

It  was  impossible  to  think  of  the  guardian  genius  of  the  busy 
town  otherwise  than  as  sitting  under  a  sinister  sky  with  a 
gloomy  frown  and  anxious  eyes,  and  yet  the  scene  by  the  White 
Gate  on  that  very  afternoon  was  as  gay  and  bright  as  though 
some  spring-tide  festival  were  being  closed  by  a  gorgeous 
spectacle.  Wherever  standing  room  was  to  be  found  on  the 
walls,  as  far  as  to  St.  Katharine's  tower,  they  were  densely 
thronged  with  men,  women  and  children.  The  old  ramparts 
looked  like  the  closely  packed  amphitheater  round  an  arena, 


14.8  the  burgomaster's  wife. 

and  the  busy  hum  of  the  many-voiced  and  inquisitive  crowd 
was  audible  Ear  below  in  the  heart  of  the  town. 

It  is  a  merciful  dispensation  which  enables  men  thus  to  revel 
in  a  brief  gleam  of  sunshine  breaking  through  ominous  clouds. 
The  apprentices  and  workmen,  the  women  and  children, 
perched  up  there  on  the  walls  forgot  all  about  the  immediate 
danger,  and  feasted  their  eyes  on  the  splendid  accouterments 
of  the  English  soldiers,  who  looked  up  at  them  from  outside, 
audaciously  nodding  and  smiling  at  the  girls,  though  some,  no 
doubt  with  graver  mien,  looked  forward  to  the  issue  of  the 
negotiations  now  going  on  within  the  walls. 

Now  the  White  Gate  was  thrown  open.  Commissary  van 
Bronkhorst,  Van  dcr  Werff,  Van  Hout,  and  other  leaders  of 
the  little  commonwealth  escorted  the  English  colonel  and  stall' 
over  the  bridge.  The  Englishman  seemed  boiling  over  with 
indignation,  and  more  than  once  laid  liis  hand  upon  his  sword- 
hilt  while  the  Leydeners  sjooke  to  him,  and  they  finally  took 
leave  of  him  with  jjrofound  bows,  to  which  he  returned  a  mere 
haughty  wave  of  his  hand.  The  citizens  returned  into  the 
town,  the  gates  swung  to,  the  old  lock  creaked,  the  outer  bars 
— strong  iron-shod  beams — fell  into  their  sockets,  the  chains 
on  the  draw-bridge  rattled  loudly  and  ominously,  and  the  as- 
sembled multitude  understood  that  the  English  were  excluded 
from  the  city. 

Loud  huzzas,  mingled  with  many  an  expression  of  aversion, 
rang  through  the  air.  "  Long  live  Orange!"  shouted  the  boys, 
among  whom  were  Adrian  and  the  dead  fencing-master's  son; 
the  women  waved  their  handkerchiefs,  and  all  eyes  were  fixed 
on  the  English.  A  loud  trumpet  blast  was  heard;  the 
mounted  officers  of  the  English  force  rode  forward  to  meet 
their  colonel,  and  held  a  short  council  of  war  with  him,  inter- 
rupted, however,  by  the  violent  speech  of  some  few  of  their 
number,  and  soon  after  a  signal  was  sounded;  the  soldiers 
hastily  formed  in  ranks,  and  man}^  a  one  as  he  turned  away 
threatened  the  town  with  his  fist.  The  guns  and  halberts, 
which  had  been  neatly  piled,  were  snatched  up  by  their  owners, 
and,  guided  by  the  sound  of  drums  and  trunrpets,  the  chaos 
fell  into  order.  Individuals  formed  lines;  lines  multiplied  into 
companies;  the  gaudy  standards  were  raised  and  flaunted  on 
the  evening  breeze;  and  with  loud  huzzas  the  whole  force 
marched  off  along  the  Iihine  to  the  south-west,  where  the 
Spanish  outposts  were  placed;  and  the  Leyden  lads  joined 
heartily  in  the  shouts  of  the  English. 

Allertssohn's  orphan,  Andreas,  had  begun  to  shout,  too,  with 
a  will;  but  catching  sight  of  a  tall  officer  marching  proudly 


THE    BUEGOMASTEK's    WIFE.  149 

ahead  of  his  ensign,  his  voice  failed  him,  and  covering  his  eyes 
with  his  hand  he  ran  home  to  his  mother.  His  companions 
did  not  observe  him,  for  the  sinking  sun  was  so  dazzlingly  mir- 
rored in  the  cuirasses  and  helmets,  the  trumpets  rang  out  so 
jollily,  the  officers'  horses  pranced  so  bravery  under  their  riders, 
the  gaudy  feathers  and  flags  and  the  smoke  of  the  burning 
slow  matches  borrowed  such  glorious  hues  from  the  ruddy  set- 
ting sun,  that  all  eyes  and  ears  were  spell-bound  by  the  scene. 

But  suddenly  a  new  excitement  attracted  the  attention  of 
old  and  .young.  Thirty -six  English  soldiers,  and  among  them 
some  officers,  had  remained  behind  the  others,  and  now  came 
irp  to  the  gates.  Once  more  the  lock  ground  and  shrieked 
and  the  chains  rattled.  The  little  party  were  admitted  and 
made  welcome  at  the  entrance  to  the  Nordeinde  by  Van  Bronk- 
horst  and  the  burgomaster. 

Every  one  on  the  wall  had  expected  that  a  fray  between  the 
retreating  British  and  the  Spaniards  would  now  be  fought  un- 
der their  very  eyes.  But,  far  from  this,  before  the  first  ranks 
had  reached  the  Spanish  outposts  they  saw  the  slow  matches 
tossed  away,  the  flags  lowered,  and  as  night  fell  and  the  gos- 
sips and  sight-seers  dispersed,  they  learned  that  the  English 
had  deserted  the  good  cause  and  gone  over  to  the  Spaniards. 
The  six-and-thirty  who  were  admitted  into  the  town  were  the 
little  handful  who  had  refused  to  yield  to  this  traitorous  council. 

It  now  became  Van  Hout's  task  to  find  quarters  for  Captain 
Cromwell  and  his  stanch  followers,  British  and  Dutch. 

Van  der  Werff  went  home  with  Van  Bronkhorst,  and  their 
words  though  not  loud  were  vehement.  The  commissary  de- 
clared that  the  prince  would  be  very  irate  at  the  dismissal  of 
the  English,  since  he  laid  great  stress,  and  with  justice,  on 
Queen  Elizabeth's  countenancing  the  cause  of  their  freedom, 
and  that  the  burgomaster  and  his  supporters  had  done  it  but 
ill  service  that  day.  This  Van  der  Werff  denied,  since  the  one 
thing  to  be  thought  of  was  the  preservation  of  Leyden.  If  it 
should  fall,  Delft,  Gouda,  and  Rotterdam  were  lost,  and  all 
further  efforts  to  win  freedom  for  Holland  must  be  vain. 
ISTow,  five  hundred  valiant  trenchermen  must  help  to  exhaust 
their  already  slender  stock  of  provisions.  They  had  done  their 
utmost  to  give  their  refusal  a  courteous  form,  and  the  English 
had  had  the  choice  of  encamping  under  the  protection  of  the 
cannon  mounted  on  the  city  walls. 

When  the  men  parted  neither  had  convinced  the  other,  still 
each  was  perfectly  sure  of  hi  coll  igue's  fidelity  and  conscien- 
tious purpose. 

As  they  parted,  Peter  said; 


150  Till:   burgomaster's  wife. 

"The  town  secretary  ought  to  represent  the  reasons  for  our 
determination  to  the  prince  in  a  clear  and  convincing  docu- 

iimiii     and   no  man  can  do  it  bo  well— and  his  excellency  can 
not  fail  to  approve  of  them;  on  that  you  may  rely." 

■•  Lei  us  aope  so,"  replied  Van  Bronkhorst.  lint  remem- 
ber thai  we  shall  soon  be  sitting  inside  these  walls  like  im- 
prisoned felons  under  lock  ami  key,  ami  that  by  i lie  day  after 
to-morrow  m>  messenger  may  lie  able  t<>  reach  him." 

'•  \'an  1  ImiL  has  the  pen  of  a  ready  writer." 

"  And  to-morrow  morning  a  proclamation  is  to  be  read,  in 
which  we  advise  all  women,  old  men  and  children  to  quit  the 
(own  —  all,  in  short,  who  may  consume  provisions  without 
helping  in  (he  defense.  They  can  reach  Delft  without  danger, 
for  that  road  is  still  open." 

"  Very  good,"  said  Peter;  "and  indeed  many  women  and 
girls  have  already  started,  as  I  learn.'' 

"'That  is  well!"  exclaimed  the  commissary.  "We  are 
piloting  an  ill-found  ship  in  a  stormy  sea,  and  if  I  had  a 
daughter  at  home  I  know  well  enough  what  1  should  do. 
Farewell  for  the  present,  master.  I  wonder  what  is  happening 
at  Alien;  I  hear  no  firing  now. " 

The  darkness  has  interrupted  the  fighting." 
We  must  hope  for  the  best  to-morrow,  and  if  those  wdio 
are  outside  all  surrender  together,  we  in  here  will  neither  waver 
nor  yield." 

"  We  will  hold  out  to  the  last/'  said  Peter,  resolutely. 

"  To  the  last — and,  by  God's  helj"),  to  a  happy  issue." 

"  Amen,"  said  Peter,  grasping  his  friend's  hand  and  turn- 
ing homeward. 

On  the  steps  he  met  Barbara.  She  wanted  to  call  Maria, 
who  was  up  with  Henrika,  but  he  would  not  have  it,  and  took 
to  walking  up  and  down  his  room;  his  lips  were  pinched  and  set, 
as  if  he  were  suffering  some  great  physical  pain.  AVhcn  he 
presently  heard  his  wife's  voice,  in  the  eating-room,  he  col- 
lected himself  by  a  strong  effort,  went  to  the  door  and  slowly 
opened  it. 

"  Are  you  at  home?  And  here  was  I  quietly  sitting  and  spin- 
ning!" she  exclaimed,  in  surprise. 

"  Yes,  child.  Come  in  here  to  me — I  want  to  speak  to 
you." 

"  For  God's  sake,  Peter,  what  has  happened?  You  speak 
so  strangely  ami  look  so  white!" 

"I  am  not  ill,  but  matters  are  serious — fearfully  serious^ 
Maria." 

"  It  is  true,  then,  the  enemy — " 


tt 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE.  151 

"  They  have  gained  enormous  advantages  yesterday  and  to- 
day—  But  pray  do  not  interrupt  me  now  if  you  love  me,  for 
what  I  have  to  say  to  you  is  not  easily  said;  it  is  hard,  very 
hard,  to  speak.  How  shall  I  begin?  How  can  I  express  my- 
self so  that  you  may  understand  exactly  what  I  mean?  You 
see,  my  child,  I  brought  you  into  my  home  out  of  a  snug  and 
hapj>y  little  nest.  What  I  had  to  offer  you  was  but  little,  and, 
in  truth,  you  expected  to  find  more.  I  know — I  know  you  are 
not  satisfied. " 

"  But  it  would  be  so  easy  for  you  to  satisfy  me." 
"  Nay,  Maria,  you  are  mistaken.  In  these  terrible  times 
only  one  thing  claims  my  thoughts,  and  everything  beside  or 
beyond  that  —  everything  that  diverts  my  mind — is  wrong. 
And  yet  at  this  very  time  one  consideration  paralyzes  my 
courage  and  shakes  my  resolution;  it  is  my  fear  of  what  your 
fate  may  be.  For  who  knows  what  may  be  in  store  for  us? 
and  so  I  must  speak — I  must  tear  my  very  heart  out  and  tell 
you  that  I  wish —  Wish!  Good  God,  is  there  no  other  word 
to  express  what  I  feel?" 

"  Speak,  Peter — say  it  and  do  not  torture  me  so,"  cried 
Maria,  gazing  terrified  into  her  husband's  face;  it  could  be  no 
small  matter  that  could  make  so  resolute  and  plain-speaking 
a  man  hesitate  and  beat  about  the  bush. " 

The  burgomaster  controlled  himself  and  began  afresh: 
"  You  are  right;  there  is  no  use  in  postponing  what  must  at 
last  be  said.  We  decided  to-day  in  council  that  all  women  and 
girls  should  be  enjoined  to  leave  the  town.  The  road  to  Delft 
is  still  open,  but  by  the  day  after  to-morrow  it  may  be  so  no 
longer,  and  later — what  may  happen  later  who  can  tell?  If  no 
succor  arrive  and  provisions  run  short,  there  will  be  no  choice 
left  but  to  open  the  gates  to  the  foe,  and  then,  Maria,  you  can 
imagine  what  the  end  will  be.  The  Bhine  and  the  canals  will 
run  purple  with  the  blood  that  will  pour  into  them,  and  they 
will  reflect  the  flames  of  such  a  conflagration  as  was  never  seen. 
Woe  to  the  men.,  and  ten  times  woe  to  the  women,  on  whom 
the  fury  of  the  conquerors  shall  fall!  And  you — you,  the  wife 
of  the  man  who  has  persuaded  thousands  to  revolt  against 
King  Philip — the  wife  of  the  proscribed  rebel  who  within  these 
walls  is  the  leader  of  the  rebels — " 

At  these  words  Maria  had  opened  her  eyes  widely,  and  she 
interrupted  her  husband  by  asking : 

"  Are  you  trying  to  test  how  far  my  courage  will  hold  out?" 
"No,  Maria;  I  know  you  will  stand  firm,  and  would  look 
even  death  in  the  face  without  a  tremor,  as  your  sister  did  be- 
fore you.     But  I — how  can  I  bear  the  thought  of  seeing  you 


152  THE    BTJBGOMASTER'e  WIFE. 

fall  into  (lif  hands  of  our  accursed  butchers?  My  terrors  for 
you,  my  intolerable  fears,  would  cripple  my  firm  resolve  at 
some  decisive  moment,  and  so — I  must  say  it — " 

Maria  had  listened  thus  far  in  silence;  she  knew  what  he  re. 
quired  of  her.  But  now  stepping  close  up  to  him,  she  inter- 
rupted him  by  Baying  firmly,  nay,  imperiously : 

No  more,  not  another  word — do  you  understand?    I  will 
not  hear  another  word!" 

"Maria!" 

"  Be  silent — it  is  my  turn  now.  What!  to  escape  your  own 
terrors  you  would  turn  your  wife  out  of  the  house;  your  fears 
will  maim  your  courage,  you  say.  And  will  anxiety  in  my 
absence  confirm  it,  do  you  think?  And  if  you  love  me,  you 
must  surely  feel — " 

"If  I  love  you,  Maria?" 

"Well,  well.  But  you  have  quite  forgotten  to  consider 
what  my  feelings  will  he  in  exile  since  I  love  you  too.  I  am 
your  wife.  We  swore  to  each  other  at  the  altar  that  nothing 
should  part  us.  Have  you  forgotten  it?  Have  I  not  made 
your  children  my  own?  Have  I  not  taught  them  to  be  glad 
to  call  me  mother?     Yes  or  no?" 

"  Yes,  Maria — a  hundred  times  yes." 

"  And  can  you  find  the  heart  to  abandon  me  to  the  cruel 
mercy  of  anxious  absence?  Will  you  compel  me  to  break  the 
most  sacred  oaths?  Can  you  bear  to  part  me  from  the  chil- 
dren? You  think  me  too  mean  and  poor  a  creature  to  suffer 
famine  and  death  for  the  sacred  cause  wThich  is  as  much  mine 
as  it  is  yours!  You  like  to  call  me  '  child/  but  I  can  be  strong 
too,  and,  come  what  may,  I  shall  not  shed  a  tear.  You  are 
the  husband  and  must  command,  I  am  the  wife  and  will  obey. 
Shall  I  go?    Or  shall  I  stay?    I  await  3-our  answer. " 

Her  voice  shook  as  she  ended;  and  he,  deeply  agitated,  ex- 
claimed : 

"  Stay,  stay,  Maria!     Come — come  and  forgive  me." 

He  took  her  hand  and  said  again : 

"  Come,  come!" 

But  she  drew  away  her  hand  and  shrunk  back  a  little,  say- 
ing: 

"  Leave  me,  Peter;  I  can  not  just  now;  I  must  have  a  little 
time  to  get  over  it." 

His  arms  fell  by  his  side  and  he  looked  sorrowfully  into  her 
eyes;  but  she  turned  on  her  heel  and  left  the  room  without 
speaking,  lie  did  not  follow  her.  but  returned  to  his  work, 
endeavoring  to  give  due  consideration  to  a  variety  of  matters 
relating  to  his  office;  but  his  thoughts  constantly  reverted  to 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  153 

Maria.  His  love  weighed  upon  his  soul  as  if  it  were  a  sin;  he 
thought  of  himself  as  he  might  of  an  express  messenger  who 
should  linger  by  the  way  to  pluck  flowers  and  waste  precious 
time  and  neglect  the  business  he  was  charged  with  in  such 
idle  dalliance.  His  heart  was  unutterably  heavy  and  sad,  and 
he  felt  it  almost  as  a  relief  when,  shortly  before  midnight,  the 
bell  of  St.  Pancras  tolled  out  its  boding  knell  of  evil.  In  a 
supreme  moment  he  knew  that  he  should  think  and  feel  noth- 
ing but  what  duty  demanded  of  him,  so  he  took  his  hat  from 
its  peg  with  revived  energy  and  left  the  house  with  a  firm  step. 

In  the  street  he  met  the  Baron  van  Duivenvoorde,  who  re- 
quested his  company  at  the  White  Gate,  where  some  English 
had  again  made  their  appearance;  a  handful,  these,  of  brave 
allies  who  had  defended  Alfen  and  the  Gouda  sluices  in  fierce 
and  bloody  fight,  until  their  gunpowder  had  run  short  and  they 
had  been  compelled  either  to  yield  or  to  save  themselves  by 
flight.  The  burgomaster  went  with  the  soldier,  and  the  gates 
were  opened  to  the  brave  warriors.  There  were  not  more  than 
twenty  of  them,  and  among  them  were  a  Dutch  captain,  Van 
der  Laen,  and  a  young  officer  who  was  a  German.  Peter  gave 
orders  that  they  should  for  this  night  be  quartered  in  the 
town  hall,  and  with  the  guards  at  the  gate;  to-morrow  they 
should  be  suitably  billeted  in  the  citizens'  houses.  Janus 
Dousa  invited  the  Dutch  officer  to  make  himself  at  home  with 
the  best  his  house  could  offer,  and  the  German  went  to  the 
Exchange  Inn.  All  were  required  to  wait  upon  the  burgo- 
master next  day  at  noon,  to  have  their  quarters  assigned  to 
them  and  be  enrolled  in  different  companies  of  volunteers. 

The  alarm-bell  had  also  broken  the  women's  rest  in  the  house 
of  Van  der  Werff ;  Barbara  had  gone  straight  to  Maria,  and 
not  till  they  had  ascertained  the  cause  of  the  tolling  and  had 
satisfied  Henrika  did  they  return  each  to  her  own  room.  Even 
then  Maria  could  not  sleep;  her  husband's  proposition  that 
they  should  part  in  the  danger  that  threatened  them  had 
raised  a  turmoil  that  pervaded  her  whole  being,  and  had 
wounded  her  deeply.  She  felt  deposed,  set  aside,  and  if  not 
misunderstood,  at  any  rate  but  half  understood  by  the  man  for 
whose  sake  alone  she  rejoiced  to  recognize  in  herself  some  lofty 
aim  and  magnanimous  enthusiasm.  What  pleasure  has  a  blind 
man  in  the  charms  of  a  lovely  wife?  of  what  value  to  her  were 
the  rich  treasures  of  feeling  that  lay  buried  in  her  breast  if  he 
neither  saw  them  nor  cared  to  find  them?  "  Show  him,  tell 
him  how  lofty  your  soul  can  be,"  her  love  advised;  but  wom- 
anly pride  came  in  and  whispered:  "  Do  not  force  it  ujdoii  him 
if  he  scorns  to  see  it." 


154  the  burgomaster's  wife. 

Thus  the  hours  dragged  by,  and  brought  her  neither  sleep 
nor  peace,  nor  even  the  wisli  to  forget  the  humiliation  she  had 
Buffered.  At  las!  Peter  came  into  the  room,~very  softly  and 
carefully,  bo  as  uot  to  wake  her.     She  pretended  to  be  asleep, 

but  she  could  still  see  him  with  half-shut  eyes.  The  light  fell 
on  his  face,  and  the  deep  lines  she  had  already  noticed  were 
marked  as  dark  furrows  of  shadow  between  his  eyes  and  mouth. 
They  gave  his  face  a  stamp  of  stern  and  gnawing  anxiety,  and 
Maria  remembered  how,  the  night  before,  he  had  muttered  in 
his  sleep,  "  Too  hard!"  and  "  If  only  I  can  bear  it!"  Then 
he  came  to  her  bedside  and  stood  there  for  some  time,  but  she 
could  not  see  him  then,  for  she  kept  her  eyes  tightly  closed; 
still  the  softened  glance  of  tenderness  with  which  he  had  come 
to  look  down  upon  her  did  not  escape  her.  It  dwelt  in  her 
"  mind's  eye,"  and  she  fancied  that  she  could  feel  that  he 
gazed  at  her  lovingly  and  was  praying  for  her  as  for  a  child. 
'  Sleep  had  long  since  overpowered  her  husband  when  she  still 
lay  wide  awake  in  the  early  dawn.  For  his  love's  sake  she 
must  need  forgive  him  much,  but  she  could  not  yet  forget  the 
blow  he  had  dealt  her  pride.  "  A  toy,"  she  thought  to  her- 
self, "  a  gem,  a  work  of  art — such  things  as  these  a  man  be- 
stows in  safety  when  danger  threatens;  but  his  ax  or  his  bread, 
his  sword  or  his  talisman,  in  short,  anything  that  is  indis- 
pensable to  his  existence,  that  he  does  not  part  with  till 
death."  She  was  not  indispensable  to  him,  not  a  necessity  of 
life.  If  she  had  yielded  to  his  wish  and  left  him,  then — then 
indeed — 

But  here  the  current  of  her  thoughts  was  checked,  for  the 
question  for  the  first  time  occurred  to  her:  Would  he  really 
have  missed  your  helping  hand — your  encouraging  words? 
And  she  turned  over  uneasily  while  her  heart  beat  fast  as  she 
confessed  to  herself  that  she  had  done  but  little  to  smooth  the 
thorny  way  for  him.  And  a  dim  perception  rose  up  to  tor- 
ment her,  that  it  was  not  by  his  fault  alone  that  she  had  failed 
to  find  perfect  hapjmiess  by  his  side.  Nay,  did  not  her  former 
conduct  justify  him  in  expecting  hinderance  rather  than  help 
and  encouragement  from  her  in  the  desperate  danger  that 
threatened  them? 

Full  of  an  earnest  desire  to  judge  herself  clearly  and  justly, 
she  sat  up  propped  against  the  pillows  and  passed  all  her 
former  life  in  review.  Her  mother  had  in  her  youth  been  a 
Catholic,  and  had  often  told  her  how  free  and  light  she  had 
felt  after  confiding  all  that  could  trouble  a maidf  '"  conscience 
to  a  third  person  pledged  to  secrecy,  and  after  receiving  from 
the  lips  of  a  minister  of  God  the  assurance  that  now,  im 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  155 

doubtedly  forgiven,  she  might  begin  a  new  life.  "It  is  more 
difficult  for  us  now,"  her  mother  had  said  before  her  first  com- 
munion, "  for  we  of  the  reformed  faith  stand  face  to  face  with 
God,  and  must  make  our  peace  with  Him  ourselves  before  we 
approach  the  Table  of  the  Lord.  And  no  doubt  that  is  all- 
sufficient;  for  when,  without  cloak  or  concealment,  we  confess 
everything  that  weighs  upon  our  conscience,  be  it  in  thought 
or  deed,  to  the  Almighty  Judge,  and  honestly  repent,  we  are 
assured  of  pardon  through  the  Redeemer's  blood. " 

Maria  now  strove  earnestly  to  attain  to  this  inward  confes- 
sion, and  sternly  and  uncompromisingly  examined  her  past 
conduct.  Yes,  she  saw  much  in  herself  that  was  unconverted; 
she  had  expected  much  and  given  little.  She  acknowledged 
her  guilt,  and  henceforth  amendment  was  to  begin.  After 
this  self-conviction  her  heart  was  lighter,  and  when  at  last  she 
turned  her  back  on  the  growing  daylight  in  the  hope  of  find- 
ing sleejD,  she  thought  with  pleasant  anticipation  of  the  loving 
greeting  she  would  give  her  husband  in  the  morning;  but  she 
was  soon  fast  asleep,  and  when  she  woke  her  husband  had 
long  since  left  the  house. 

As  usual,  she  set  to  work  to  put  her  husband's  sitting-room 
in  order  before  doing  anything  else,  and  as  she  passed  the  por- 
trait of  the  lost  Eva  she  cast  a  kindly  glance  up  at  her.  On 
the  writing-table  lay  a  Bible,  the  only  book  her  husband  ever 
read  that  had  not  a  direct  bearing  on  his  official  work.  Bar- 
bara, too,  would  sometimes  seek  consolation  and  edification 
from  the  same  source,  but  she  more  commonly  used  it  as  an 
oracle  in  cases  of  doubt — opening  it  at  random,  and  reading 
the  passage  on  which  her  finger  fell.  This  generally  suggested 
its  own  interpretation,  and  she  commonly,  though  not  invaria- 
bly, acted  irpon  it.  This  very  day,  in  fact,  she  had  disobeyed 
such  an  indication;  for  in  answer  to  a  question  as  to  whether 
she  still  might  venture,  in  sjoite  of  the  Spanish  blockade  of  the 
town,  to  send  a  sack  of  creature  comforts  of  various  kinds  to 
her  son,  the  Gueux,  at  sea,  she  had  lighted  on  these  words  of 
the  prophet  Jeremiah,  "  Their  flocks  and  their  tents  shall 
they  take  away,  and  they  shall  take  to  themselves  their  cur- 
tains, and  all  their  vessels,  and  their  camels;"  and,  neverthe- 
less, the  package  had  been  given  in  charge  early  that  morning 
to  a  widow,  who,  in  obedience  to  the  order  in  council,  was 
leaving  for  Delft  with  her  grown-up  daughters.  The  good 
things  might  certainly  reach  Rotterdam,  and  what  mother  does 
not  hope  for  a  miracle  in  her  child's  behalf? 

Before  putting  the  Bible  into  its  place,  Maria  opened  it  at 
the  nineteenth  chapter  of  the  first  epistle  to  the  Corinthians, 


15G  the  burgomaster's  tyife. 

which  discourses  of  charity,  and  which  was  a  particular  favorite 
with  her.  There  it  is  written,  "  Charity  suffereth  long  and  is 
kind:  charity  envieth  not;"  and  again  it  "beareth  all  things, 
believeth  all  things,  hopeth  all  things,  endureth  all  things." 
To  be  kind  and  long-sunering,  to  hope  and  endure  all  things, 
this  was  the  duty  that  love  required  01  her. 

Just  as  she  had  closed  the  book  and  was  about  to  go  up  to 
Henrika,  Barbara  announced  Janus  Dousa.  Tlie  young  noble- 
man had  od  his  breast-plate  and  a  gorget,  and  looked  far  more 
like  a  soldier  than  a  sage  or  a  poet.  He  had  vainly  sought 
Peter  at  the  town  hall,  and  had  come  hoping  to  find  him  at 
home.  One  of  the  messengers  that  had  been  sent  to  the 
prince  had  returned  from  Dortrecht  with  a  letter  winch  ap- 
pointed Dousa  to  the  post  vacated  by  the  death  of  Allertssohn, 
and  he  was  not  only  to  be  the  captain  of  the  town  guard  hut 
commandant  of  all  the  forces.  He  had  accepted  the  call  with 
cheerful  alacrity,  and  begged  Maria  to  announce  it  to  her  hus- 
band. 

"Pray  accept  my  best  wishes,"  said  the  young  woman; 
"but  what  now  becomes  of  your  motto,  'Ante  Annia 
Muscat'" 

"  I  must  alter  it  a  little  and  say,  '  Omnia  ante  Musas.'  " 

''  And  do  you  understand  that  gibberish,  child?"  said  Bar- 
bara. 

"  The  Muses  must  have  leave  of  absence  for  the  present," 
Maria  gayly  replied  to  the  young  man's  remark.  Janus  was 
amused  at  the  prompt  reply. 

'How  gay  and  pleased  you  look!"  be  exclaimed.  "In 
these  hard  times  a  cheerful  face  is  a  rare  sight." 

Maria  colored,  hardly  knowing  how  to  take  the  young 
baron's  remark,  for  he  was  a  man  who  could  disguise  blame 
under  a  jest;  but  she  replied,  with  frank  sincerity: 

"  Do  not  think  me  frivolous  or  indifferent,  Jonker.  I 
know  what  grave  times  these  are;  but  I  have  just  gone 
through  a  private  self-examination,  and  I  found  much  to 
blame  in  my  conscience;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  I  have  a 
sincere  purpose  of  replacing  it  by  something  better. " 

'  Well  and  good!"  replied  Dousa.  "  I  knew  that  in  your 
schools  at  Delft  you  had  attached  yourself  to  my  friends  the 
Ancients.  '  Know  thyself '  was  the  highest  teaching  of  the 
Greeks,  and  you  very  wisely  obey  it.  All  silent  confession — 
all  aspiration  after  self-purification — must  begin  with  self- 
knowledge;  and  if  in  the  processwe  find  things  which  are  little 
flattering  to  the  beloved  '1' — if  we  have  the  courage  to  see 
ourselves  as  hideous  as  we  see  others — " 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE.  157 

"  Then  we  are  horrified,  and  have  already  taken  the  first 
step  toward  something  better. " 

Nay,  good  dame;  then  we  are  already  standing  on  a 
higher  level.  After  many  hours  of  deep  reflection,  Socrates 
confessed — do  you  know  what?" 

"  Yes;  that  he. knew  nothing.  Well,  I  made  quicker  work 
of  coming  to  the  same  conclusion/' 

"  And  the  Christian  learns  it  at  school,"  said  Barbara,  anx- 
ious to  have  her  share  in  the  conversation.  "  All  knowledge 
is  but  in  part." 

"  And  we  are  all  sinners,"  added  Dousa.  "It  is  easy  to 
say,  good  mother;  and  it  is  easy  to  believe  it  when  it  applies 
to  other  folks.  '  He  is  a  sinner  '  is  soon  pronounced,  but  '  I 
am  a  sinner  '  sticks  in  the  throat;  and  he  who  can  own  it  in 
anguish  in  the  stillness  of  his  chamber  will  find  some  white 
feathers  of  an  angel's  jnnions  mingling  with  the  blackness  of 
the  devil's  wings.  Forgive  me!  but  these  are  clays  when  every- 
thing a  man  says  or  thinks  is  bitter  earnest.  Mars  is  with  us, 
and  the  gentle  Muses  are  silent.  Greet  your  husband  from 
me,  and  tell  him  that  Allertssohn's  body  has  been  brought  in, 
and  that  he  will  be  buried  to-morrow." 

Van  der  Does  departed,  and  Maria,  after  visiting  her  patient, 
whom  she  found  well  and  cheerful,  sent  Adrian  and  Elizabeth 
into  the  garden  by  the  walls  to  gather  flowers  and  greenery, 
that  she  might  weave  them  into  garlands  for  the  bier  of  the 
brave  captain.    Meanwhile,  she  herself  went  to  visit  his  widow. 


CHAPTEE  XXII. 

The  burgomaster's  wife  returned  home  shortly  before  din- 
ner. Outside  her  house  she  found  a  motley  assembly  of 
bearded  and  mustachioed  warriors,  who  were  endeavoring  to 
make  themselves  understood  in  English  by  two  or  three  of  the 
town  watch,  and  who,  when  these  functionaries  saluted  Dame 
Maria,  followed  their  example,  respectfully  raising  their  hands 
to  their  helmets. 

She  returned  their  greeting  civilly,  and  entered  the  hall,  into 
which  the  midday  sun  was  pouring  through  the  door,  which 
stood  wide  open.  Peter  had  assigned  quarters  to  these  English 
soldiers,  and,  after  consulting  with  the  now  commandant,  Jan 
van  der  Does,  had  appointed  them  to  companies.  They  were 
now  evidently  waiting  for  some  of  their  comrades,  for  when 
the  young  woman  put  her  foot  on  the  lowest  steji  and  looked 
up,  she  saw  that  at  the  top  of  the  narrow  stairs  her  way  was 
barred  by  the  tall  figure  of  a  soldier.     His  back  was  toward 


158  TITT    BTJBGOHASTEB'S  WIFE. 

her,  and  lie  was  showing  Elizabeth  hia  dark  velvet  beretta, 
decorated  with  what  a  herald  would  call  an  '* embattled 
border,"  above  which  waved  a  handsome,  light-blue  ostrich 
feather.  The  child  seemed  to  have  made  great  friends  with 
tlic  soldier,  for  although  he  was  refusing  her  something,  the 
little  girl  was  laughing  happily.  Maria  stood  undecided  for  a 
moment,  but  as  the  child  made  a  snatch  at  the  gay  head-gear 
and  Bel  it  on  her  own  curls,  she  thought  she  ought  to  cheek 
her,  and  called  up  to  her: 

"  But,  Elizabeth,  that  is  not  a  plaything!" 

The  soldier  turned  round,  stood  puzzled  for  a  moment, 
shaded  his  eyes  with  his  hand,  and  then  leaped  down  the  steps 
to  meet  Dame  van  der  Werff.  She  had  started  back  in  sur- 
prise; however,  he  gave  her  no  time  for  reflection,  but  held  out 
both  his  hands,  and  cried  eagerly,  with  delight  sparkling  In 
his  eyes:  "  Maria!  Mistress  Maria!  You  here?  This  is  a  day 
of  good  fortune." 

The  young  woman  had  at  once  recognized  the  soldier,  and 
])iit  her  hand  frankly  into  his,  but  not  altogether  without  con- 
fusion. The  soldier's  clear  blue  eyes  sought  to  meet  hers,  but 
she  looked  down  and  said: 

"  I  am  not  as  I  was  then — the  girl  is  now  the  mistress  of  a 
family. " 

"  The  mistress  of  a  family!  How  dignified  that  sounds. 
And  yet — and  yet  you  are  still  Mistress  Maria.  Not  a  hair  has 
altered.  At  the  wedding  at  Delft  you  held  your  head  down  in 
just  the  same  way — lifted  your  hands,  cast  down  your  eyes, 
and  always  had  that  same  lovely  blush." 

The  tone  and  accent  in  which  he  spoke,  with  a  gay  freedom 
that  was  almost  boyish,  had  something  in  them  which  attracted 
Maria  as  much  as  his  confident  manner  annoyed  her.  She 
raised  her  head  with  a  hasty  impulse,  looked  steadily  in  the 
young  officer's  handsome  face,  and  said,  with  some  dignity: 

"  You  see  only  the  outside,  Baron  von  Dornburg.  Within, 
three  years  have  wrought  great  changes. ' ' 

"Baron  von  Dornburg!"  he  repeated,  shaking  his  long. 
curly  hair;  "  in  Delft  I  wras  Jonker  Georg.  Things  must 
have  gone  very  differently  with  us,  fair  dame;  for  see,  my 
mustache  has  grown  considerably — though  not  very  long;  I 
am  broader  than  I  was;  and  the  sun  has  burned  my  pink  and 
white  boy's  face  to  a  good  brown;  in  short,  my  outer  man  is 
greatly  changed,  but  here — within — nothing  has  altered  from 
what  it  was  three  years  since. " 

Maria  felt  the  blood  mounting  again  to  her  cheeks,  but  she 
was  determined  not  to  blush,  and  answered  hastily: 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE.  159 

'  To  stand  still  is  to  go  backward,  so  you  have  lost  three 
good  years,  Baron  von  Dornburg." 

The  officer  gazed  at  Maria  in  astonishment,  and  then  said, 
more  gravely  than  before : 

'  Your  play  of  wit  strikes  home  more  than  you  think;  I  had 
hoped  to  find  you  in  Delft  again,  but  we  ran  short  of  ammu- 
nition in  Alfen  and  the  Spaniards  may  reach  your  native  town 
sooner  than  we  shall.  A  happy  fate  has  thrown  you  in  my 
way  here;  but — let  me  be  frank — when  I  hope  and  wish  a 
thing,  my  fancy  brings  it  visibly  before  my  eyes,  and  I  hear  it 
with  my  ears;  and  whenever  I  have  thought  of  our  meeting 
again  I  have  dreamed  that  you  might  put  both  your  hands  into 
mine — that  you  would  greet  me,  not  with  sharp  words,  but 
would  say:  '  Do  you  still  remember  those  we  have  lost?  Was 
I  not  your  companion  in  some  happy  by-gone  hours,  and  our 
Leonhard's  closest  friend?'  And  then  I  fancied  that  when  I 
should  answer:  '  Yes,  indeed;  I  have  never  forgotten  them!' 
the  soft  fire  of  your  eyes — ah!  now  I  may  thank  you!  I  see 
those  bright  stars  twinkling  through  the  crystal  moisture. 
You  are  not  so  much  altered  as  you  fancy,  Dame  Maria;  and 
if  I  remember  the  past  in  all  loyalty,  can  you  blame  me?" 

"  Certainly  not,"  she  answered,  warmly;  "  and  now  that 
you  speak  thus  to  me,  I  will  gladly  call  you  Jonker  Georg 
again,  and  invite  you,  as  my  friend  and  Leonhard's,  into  our 
house. " 

'  That  is  well,  and  I  am  glad  of  it,"  he  said,  eagerly.  "  I 
have  so  much  to  ask  you;  and  as  to  myself —  Good  heavens!  I 
wish  I  had  less  to  tell. " 

'  Have  you  seen  my  husband?"  asked  Maria. 
'  I  do  not  know  a  soul  in  Leyden,"  he  replied,  "  excepting 
the  learned  and  hospitable  host  of  my  inn  and  the  Doge  of 
this    many-ditched    and    many-bridged  little  Venice."       He 
pointed  up  the  stairs,  and  Maria  colored  as  she  answered: 
"  The  Burgomaster  van  der  Werff  is  my  husband." 
The  young  man  was  silent  for  a  minute;  then  he  said,  hastily: 
'  He  received  me  most  kindly.     And  that  sweet  little  elf?" 

'  She  is  his  child  by  a  former  marriage,  but  mine  too  now 
What  makes  you  call  her  an  elf?" 

"  Because  she  looks  as  if  she  had  been  born  among  white 
blossoms  in  the  moonlight,  and  because  the  reflection  of  the 
morning  glow,  from  which  the  elfs  flee  away,  tinged  her  cheeks 
when  1  caught  sight  of  her." 

'  She  has  had  that  name  given  her  already,"  said  Maria. 
'•'  Now,  may  I  take  you  up  to  my  husband?" 


IGO  the  burgomaster's  wife. 


"j> 


Not  at  present,  Dame  van  der  WerfT,  for  I  must  look  after 
my  men  oul  there,  but  to-morrow,  if  you  will  allow  me." 

••  1  will  (ell  my  husband  all  about  you.  Till  to-morrow, 
then,  Jonker  Georg." 

Maria  found  the  steaming  dishes  standing  on  the  dhmer- 
table,  but  the  family  had  waited  I'm-  her.  Mushed  with  her 
walk  iii  the  midday  sun,  and  excited  by  her  unexpected  meet- 
ing with  the  young  German,  she  opened  her  husband's  study 
dour,  exclaiming,  as  she  went  in: 

"  Forgive  me!  I  was  detained.  It  is  very  late,  I  am 
afraid." 

"  We  were  very  willing  to  wait,"  he  said,  kindly,  and  going 
up  to  her.  Suddenly  all  her  new  resolutions  rushed  into  her 
mind,  and  for  the  first  time  since  their  marriage  she  raised  her 
husband's  hand  to  her  lips.  He  smilingly  withdrew  it,  kissed 
her  forehead,  and  then  said: 

"  It  is  good  to  have  you  here — very  good." 

"  Ay,  is  it  not?"  she  said,  with  a  playful  gesture  of  reproof. 
"  But  now  we  are  all  at  home,  and  dinner  is  waiting." 

"Come  along,  then,"  she  exclaimed,  brightly.  "Do  you 
know  whom  I  met  below  on  the  steps?" 

"  Some  English  soldiers." 

"  Yes,  but  with  them  the  Jonker  von  Dornburg." 

"  He  has  been  to  see  me.  A  smart  young  fellow  with  a  very 
winning  frankness;  a  German  from  the  Protestant  provinces. " 

"  And  Leonhard's  dearest  friend.  Ho  you  not  remember? 
I  must  surely  have  told  you  about  him.  Our  visitor  at  the 
time  of  Jacoba's  wedding.-" 

"To  be  sure,  Jonker  Georg!  It  was  he  who  before  that 
broke  that  vicious  bay  horse  for  the  prince's  equerry." 

"  That  was  a  bold  adventure,"  said  Maria,  with  a  deep 
breath. 

"The  bay  goes  capitally  to  this  day,"  answered  Peter. 
"  Leonhard  thought  that  with  all  his  talents  and  accomplish- 
ments the  baron  might  lift  the  world  off  its  axis — I  remember 
it  very  well — and  now  the  poor  fellow  has  to  sit  still  within 
ilie.se  walls  and  let  us  feed  him.  How  did  he  happen  to  join 
the  English  and  come  out  here?" 

"  I  do  not  know;  he  only  told  me  he  had  had  many  advent- 
ures." 

"  That  I  can  well  believe.  He  is  living  at  the  Exchange 
Inn;  but  perhaps  we  can  find  a  room  for  him  in  the  side-wing 
across  the  court-yard. " 

"No,  Peter!"  she  exclaimed,  hastily;  "there  is  not  any 
room  there  in  fit  order." 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  161 

"  That  we  will  see  later.  Ask  him  to  dine  with  us  to-mor- 
row, at  any  rate,  and  he  may  be  able  to  tell  us  something. 
There  is  good  stuff  in  the  Jonker;  he  begged  me  not  to  let  him 
remain  idle,  but  always  to  make  him  of  use  in  some  service. 
Jan  van  der  Docs  will  soon  find  the  right  place  for  him,  for 
our  new  commandant  can  see  what  men  are  made  of." 

Barbara  now  joined  in  the  conversation,  and  Peter,  although 
it  was  but  a  work-day,  ordered  up  a  flagon  of  wine  instead  of 
beer  as  usual,  and  this  day  a  thing  happened  which  had  not 
occurred  for  weeks.  The  master  of  the  house  remained  at 
table  with  his  family  a  full  quarter  of  an  hour  after  the  re- 
mains of  the  dinner  had  been  removed,  and  told  them  of  the 
rapid  movements  of  the  Spaniards,  of  the  miserable  fate  of  the 
renegade  English  who  had  been  disarmed  and  sent  off  in  de- 
tachments, of  the  resistance  at  Alfen,  to  the  very  death,  by  the 
company  to  which  Jonker  Georg  belonged,  and  of  another 
severe  battle  in  which  Don  Gaytan,  the  best  of  Valdez's  officers 
and  his  very  right  hand,  was  said  to  have  been  killed.  Mes- 
sengers could  still  come  and  go  by  the  road  to  Delft,  but  by 
to-morrow,  it  was  said,  that  too  would  be  occupied  by  the 
enemy.  Whenever  he  spoke  he  addressed  himself  to  Maria, 
excepting  when  Barbara  directly  questioned  him,  aud  when  at 
last  he  rose  from  table,  he  ordered  that  a  good  joint  should  be 
roasted  for  the  morrow  in  honor  of  the  guest  he  himself  in- 
tended to  invite.  Hardly  had  he  closed  the  door  of  his  room 
when  tiny  Elizabeth  flew  to  Maria,  and,  clasping  her  knees  with 
her  arms,  looked  up  and  asked  her: 

"  Say,  little  mother;  Jonker  Georg  is  the  tall  captain  with 
a  blue  feather  who  ran  down-stairs  so  fast  to  meet  you?" 

"Yes,  child." 

"And  he  is  coming  to  dinner  to-morrow!  Adrian,  he  is 
coming!" 

She  clapped  her  hands  with  delight,  and  ran  to  Barbara, 
shouting  once  more: 

"  Aunt  Barbel,  do  you  hear?  he  is  coming!" 

"  Blue  feather  and  all!"  answered  her  aunt. 

"  Yes,  and  he  has  curly  hair — long  curls  like  Assendelft's 
little  Clara.     May  I  go  up  to  Cousin  Henrika?" 

"  By  and  by,  perhaps,"  said  Maria.  "  But  now,  children, 
bring  me  your  flowers,  and  separate  them  neatly  from  the  green 
sprays.  Trautchen  will  bring  us  some  hoo})s  and  thread,  and 
we  will  make  the  wreaths." 

Jonker  Georg' s  words,  that  it  was  a  lucky  day,  seemed  like- 
ly to  come  true;  for  the  young  hostess  found  Henrika  in  good 
spirits  and  free  from  pain.     She  had  the  doctor's  leave  to  walk 


162  THE    BUBGOMABTEB'S   WIFE. 

u]>  and  down  the  room,  and  had  been  Bitting  for  a  long  time 
al  the  open  window;  she  had  enjoyed  a  chicken,  and  when 
Maria  entered  the  room  was  resting,  in  the  delicious  .sen so  of 
growing  strength,  in  her  well-stuffed  easy-chair.  Her  friend 
congratulated  her  on  her  improved  looks,  and  told  her  how 
pleased  she  was  with  her  appearance. 

"  I  can  return  the  compliment,"  replied  Henrika.  "  You 
look  as  bright  as  good  hick  itself,  What  has  happened  to 
please  yon?" 

"  Me?  Oh,  my  husband  was  more  cheerful  than  usual,  and 
had  a  great  deal  to  tell  ns  at  dinner.  But  1  only  came  just  to 
ask  after  you;  good-bye  again  for  the  present.  The  children 
and  I  have  a  melancholy  task  in  hand." 

"  The  children!''  What  can  the  Elf  and  Signer  Salvatore 
have  to  do  with  anything  melancholy?" 

*'  Allertssohn,  the  poor  captain,  is  to  be  buried  to-morrow, 
and  we  are  going  to  twine  some  wreaths  for  the  coffin." 

"  To  twine  wreaths!  Oh,  I  could  show  you  how  to  do  that. 
Here,  Trautchen,  take  away  my  plate  and  call  the  children. " 

The  maid  did  as  she  was  desired,  but  Maria  anxiously  re- 
marked : 

"  You  are  trying  to  do  too  much  again,  Henrika." 

"  I?  To-morrow  I  shall  sing.  It  is  all  my  preserver's  potion; 
it  works  wonders,  I  tell  you.  Have  you  enough  flowers  and 
oak  sprays?" 

"  I  should  think  so!" 

As  Maria  spoke  the  door  or>ened,  and  Elizabeth  came  softly 
into  the  room,  treading  on  tiptoe  as  she  had  been  enjoined; 
she  came  up  to  Henrika  and  let  her  kiss  her,  and  then  ex- 
claimed, eagerly: 

"  Cousin  Henrika — do  you  know — Jonker  Georg,  with  his 
blue  feather,  is  coming  again  to-morrow  to  have  dinner  with 
us?" 

"  Jonker  Georg?"  asked  the  girl. 

Maria  answered  for  the  child,  saying,  in  some  confusion: 

"  Baron  von  Dornburg,  an  officer  who  came  into  the  city 
with  the  English.  I  told  you  of  him — a  German — an  old 
acquaintance  of  mine.  Go,  Liesa,  and  sort  the  flowers  with 
Adrian;  I  will  come  in  a  few  minutes  and  help  you." 

"  But  up  here — in  Cousin  Henrika's  room!"  entreated  the 
child. 

"Yes,  my  Elf,  here;  and  mother  and  I  will  make  the 
loveliest  wreath  you  ever  saw  in  your  life." 

The  child  ran  off,  and  in  her  delight  forgot  to  shut  the  door 
gently. 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE.  163 

Maria  sat  looking  out  of  the  window;  her  friend  watched 
her  in  silence  for  some  minutes,  and  at  last  exclaimed: 

"  One  word,  Dame  Maria!  What  is  going  on  down  there  in 
the  court-yard?  Nothing!  And  what  has  become  of  your 
bright  looks  all  of  a  sudden?  You  do  not  usually  have  swarms 
of  guests  in  your  house;  why,  then,  did  you  wait  for  Elizabeth 
to  tell  me  of  Jonker  Georg's  arrival — the  German,  your  friend 
of  former  days?" 

"  Oh,  Henrika,  drop  the  question!" 

"  No,  no — do  you  know  what  I  think?  I  believe  the  whirl- 
wind of  war  has  blown  that  young  madcap  to  your  doors  with 
whom  you  spent  so  many  delightful  hours  at  the  time  of  your 
sister's  wedding.  Now,  am  I  right  or  wrong?  You  need  not 
blush  so  scarlet." 

"It  is  he,"  Maria  answered,  gravely.  "But,  if  you  love 
me,  forget  all  that  I  told  you  about  him;  or  at  any  rate  deny 
yourself  the  idle  pleasure  of  alluding  to  it,  for  if  you  do  you 
will  hurt  me  very  much. " 

"  How  should  I?  you  are  the  wife  of  another  man." 

"  Of  a  man  I  love  and  honor,  who  trusts  me  entirely,  and 
who  himself  invited  the  baron  into  his  house.  I  liked  the 
young  man  and  admired  his  talents,  and  was  sorry  and  anx- 
ious when  he  risked  his  life  as  if  it  were  a  mere  leaf  flung  upon 
the  current  of  a  river." 

"  And  now  that  you  have  seen  him  again,  Maria — " 

"  Now  I  know  what  my  duty  is.  Only  let  it  be  your  care 
that  my  peace  of  mind  in  doing  it  is  not  disturbed  by  your  idle 
words." 

"  Certainly  it  shall  not  be,  Maria.  Still,  I  am  curious  about 
this  young  knight  and  his  singing.  Unfortunately,  we  shall 
not  have  the  opportunity  of  being  together  much  longer.  I 
must  go  home." 

"  The  doctor  will  not  let  you  travel  yet." 

"  It  is  all  the  same;  I  shall  go  as  soon  as  I  feel  well  enough. 
My  father  is  forbidden  to  enter  the  town,  but  your  husband  can 
do  much,  and  I  must  speak  with  him." 

"  Will  you  see  him  to-morrow?" 

"  The  sooner  the  better,  for  he  is  your  husband,  and  the  very 
ground  here  seems  to  burn  under  my  feet." 

"  Oh!"  Maria  exclaimed. 

"It  sounds  very  dismal,  I  know,"  said  Henrika.  "But 
need  I  tell  you  that  it  is  hard  to  leave  you?  However,  I  am 
not  gone  yet.  But  my  sister  Anna  is  now  a  widow — thank 
God!  I  might  say,  though  she  is  in  want  and  entirely  forlorn. 


164  THE   burgomaster's  wife. 

I  must  see  my  father,  to  speak  to  him  about  her,  and  quit  this 
quiel  haven  to  go  oul  into  the  storm." 

"  My  husband  shall  come  to  you,"  said  Maria. 

"  That  is  well.  Now,  children,  come  in;  lay  the  flowers  on 
that  table.  You,  Elfling,  sit  down  prettily  on  the  stool;  and 
you,  Salvatore,  hand  me  the  flowers.  Bat  what  is  this?  I 
really  believe  the  young  rascal  has  been  anointing  his  curls 
with  scented  oil — in  my  honor!  Thanks,  my  preserver!  We 
do  not  want  the  hoops  just  yet;  first  we  must  make  little 
bunches,  and  then  we  will  tie  them  to  the  wood  with  some 
greenery.  Now,  sing'  a  song  as  we  work,  Maria.  The  first; 
but  I  can  bear  it  to-day." 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Half  Leyden  had  followed  the  gallant  captain  to  the  grave, 
and  among  the  soldiers  who  paid  this  last  mark  of  respect  to 
the  brave  man  was  Georg  von  Dornburg.  After  the  funeral, 
Wilhelm  took  the  son  of  his  deeply  regretted  and  worthy  com- 
rade home  to  his  own  house. 

Van  der  Werff,  though  after  the  solemn  ceremony  was  over 
he  found  much  waiting  to  be  done,  would  not  sacrifice  the  din- 
ner hour,  as  he  expected  the  German.  He  sat  as  usual  at  the 
head  of  his  table;  the  baron  sat  on  one  side  of  it,  between  him 
and  Maria,  and  opposite  to  Barbara  and  the  children.  The 
widow  was  never  tired  of  gazing  at  the  young  man's  fresh, 
bright  face,  for  there  was  something  frank  and  honest  in  the 
Jonker's  eyes  which  reminded  her  of  her  son,  though  her  Wil- 
helm was  not  to  be  compared  to  their  guest  in  point  of  good 
looks. 

Many  a  question  had  already  been  asked  and  answered  as 
they  eat,  and  many  a  tender  reminiscence  revived,  when  Peter, 
after  the  table  had  been  cleared  and  a  fresh  jug  of  better  wine 
brought  in,  filled  the  Jonker's  glass  and  then  lifted  his  own. 

"  We  will  drink  this  glass,"  said  he,  with  a  glance  of  sincere 
regard  and  welcome  at  Georg,  "  to  the  triumph  of  the  good 
cause  for  which  you,  of  your  own  free  will,  have  drawn  the 
sword.  Thank  you  for  your  hearty  response — even  drinking 
is  an  art,  and  one  of  which  the  Germans  are  masters. " 

"  It  is  to  be  learned  in  various  places,  and  not  last  nor  least 
at  the  University  of  Jena. " 

"  All  honor  to  the  doctors  and  professors  who  turn  out  such 
proficients  in  it  as  my  late  brother-in-law,  and,  to  judge  from 
the  present  instance,  as  you  yourself." 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  165 

"  Nay,  Leonhard  was  my  superior  in  the  ars  bilendi— but 
ah,  how  long  ago!'' 

"Youth  is  not  generally  easily  satisfied,"  replied  Peter, 
"  but  in  the  matter  of  years  it  is  apt  to  call  them  many  when 
old  folks  think  them  but  few.  To  be  sure,  many  events  may 
have  been  crowded  into  the  last  years  of  your  life.  I  can  still 
spare  a  little  time,  and  as  we  are  so  comfortably  seated  and 
all  here  together  for  once,  you  might  relate  to  us  now— unless 
you  would  rather  be  silent  on  the  subject — how  you  came  to 
quit  your  distant  home  and  find  yourself  in  Holland,  and  why 
you  left  your  Greek  and  Latin  to  march  under  the  English 
flag." 

"Yes,  indeed,"  added  Maria,  with  frank  ease;  "you  owe 
me  such  an  account  of  yourself.  Say  grace,  children,  and  be 
off  with  you. " 

Adrian  looked  beseechingly  first  at  his  mother  and  then  at 
his  father,  and  as  neither  of  them  forbade  their  remaining,  he 
drew  his  chair  close  up  to  his  little  sister's,  and  with  their 
heads  close  together  and  wide-open  eyes,  they  listened  to  the 
Jonker  as  he  told  his  story,  at  first  with  some  indifference,  but 
with  increasing  eagerness  as  he  went  on. 

"  You  know  I  am  a  native  of  Thuringia,  a  mountainous 
province  in  the  heart  of  Germany.  Our  town  lies  in  a  pretty 
valley  through  which  a  river  tumbles  with  many  windings. 
"Wooded  mountains — not  so  high  as  the  giants  of  Switzerland, 
but  not  small  ones  either — inclose  the  little  dale,  their  bases 
checkered  with  fields  and  meadows  and  their  heights  covered 
with  firs  which,  like  the  huntsman,  are  dressed  in  green  the 
whole  year  round.  In  winter,  to  be  sure,  the  snow  covers 
them  in  a  shroud  of  sparkling  white,  but  when  spring  returns 
the  firs  put  forth  young  shoots  as  fresh  and  tender  as  the 
sprouting  buds  of  your  oaks  and  beeches;  and  then  it  is  in  the 
meadows  by  the  stream  and  under  soft  warm  breezes  that  the 
snow  appears;  for  the  fruit  trees  bloom  one  after  another,  and 
when  the  wind  blows  the  gleaming  pale  blossoms  fly  before  it 
like  white  flakes,  and  fall  on  the  gay  flowers  in  the  grass  and 
on  the  clear  surface  of  the  stream.  There  are  bare  cliffs,  too, 
on  many  of  the  higher  parts  of  the  mountains,  and  where  they 
stand  up,  steep  and  inaccessible,  our  forefathers  have  built 
fortresses  to  protect  themselves  against  the  incursions  of  their 
foes.  Our  castle  stands  on  a  ridge  in  the  midst  of  the  valley 
of  the  Saale.  There  I  was  born,  there  I  played  away  my  early 
years,  learned  to  read  the  Bible  and  to  use  my  pen.  There 
was  plenty  of  hunting  in  the  forests,  and  we  had  good  horses 
in  the  stable,  and  I  was  a  wild  child  and  rarely  went  to  school 


166  TIIE    BUBGOlf ASTER'S  WIFE. 

of  my  own  free  will;  our  venerable  master  Lorenz  hud  to  catch 
me   first  when   he  wanted   me.     My  sisters  and  Hans,  the 
youngest  of  us— he  was  only  three  years  younger  than  I  was — 
were  submissive  enough;  I  had  an  older  brother,  too,  and  yet, 
as  I  may  say,  I  had  not;  for  hardly  had  hie  1  nurd  begun  to 
show  when  our  sovereign  duke  appointed  him  squire  "to  the 
Hitter  von  Brand,  and  he  was  sent  to  Spain  to  buy  Andalusian 
horses.     Johann  Friedrich's  father,   of  happy   memory,   had 
learned  their  value  in  Madrid  after  the  battle  of  Mnhlberg. 
Ludwig  was  a  fine  young  fellow  when  he  went,  and  even  then 
he  could  break  in  the  wildest  horse.     It  was  a  bitter  grief  to 
our  parents  to  think  of  him  as  dead,  but  years  went  by,  and  as 
neither  he  nor  his  master  ever  was  seen  again,  we  had  to  give 
them  up  for  lost.     Only  my  mother  never  would  believe  it, 
and  was  always  expecting  him  to  come  home.     My  father 
called  me  the  future  baron  and  his  heir.     When  I  was  old 
enough  to  have  lost  my  boy's  voice,  and  could  construe  Cicero 
after  a  fashion,  I  was  sent  to  the  high  school  at  Jena  to  study 
law,  with  a  view  to  becoming  a  member  of  the  Imperial  Coun- 
cil, in  accordance  with  the  wishes  of  my  uncle  the  chancellor. 
Oh,  Jena!  beloved  Jena!     There  are  certain  delicious  days  in 
May  and  June  when  only  the  lightest  clouds  float  in  the  sky, 
and  every  leaf  is  so  green,  every  flower  so  fresh  and  bright, 
that  one  might  think — and  perhaps  they  fancy  it  themselves — 
that  they  could  never  fade  and  fall;  well,  in  the  life  of  a  man 
— at  any  rate  of  a  German — the  happy  time  when  he  is  a  stu- 
dent answers  to  those  delightful  days  in  spring.     You  can  be- 
lieve it,  I  dare  say,  for  Leonhard  must  have  told  you  much 
about  Jena.     He  knew  how  to  combine  work  with  pleasure; 
I,  on  the  contrary,  learned  little  on  the  wooden  forms,  for, 
truth  to  tell,  I  rarely  sat  on  them,  aiid  the  dust  of  books  had 
no  chance  of  choking  my  lungs;  but  I  read  Ariosto  again  and 
again.     I  was  a  diligent  student  of  music,  and  in  some  of  my 
wildest  fits  of  excitement  I  wrote  many  songs,  to  my  own  great 
satisfaction.     A  man  learns  to  use  his  sword,  too,  in  Jena,  and 
I  should  have  liked  to  cross  swords  once  with  your  famous 
feneer  Allertssohn,  of  whom  I  have  heard  you  speak.     Leon- 
hard  was  older  than  I,  and  he  had  attained  the  dignity  of  Mas- 
ter of  Laws  before  I  had  got  far  into  the  Pandects.     But  we 
were  always  one  in  heart  and  soul,  and  so  it  happened  that  I 
came  to  Holland  with  him  to  his  wedding.     Ah!  that  was  ;i 
time!    Our  doctors  of  theology  at  Jena  have  squabbled  heartily 
as  to  where  on  earth  (lie  garden  of  Paradise  may  have  been. 
But  I  always  thought  them  a  parcel  of  fools,  for,  said  I,  there 
is  but  one  Eden,  and  that  is  in  Holland;  and  the  sweetest 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE.  167 

roses  the  dew  ever  falls  on  in  the  early  morning  sunshine  blos- 
som in  Delft." 

As  he  spoke,  Georg  shook  his  long  curls,  and  then  suddenly 
paused  in  some  confusion,  but  as  no  one  interrupted  him,  and 
he  caught  sight  of  Barbara's  eager  face  and  the  children's 
flush  of  excitement,  he  went  on  again,  less  fervidly: 

"  So  I  went  home  again,  and  had  to  learn  for  the  first  time 
that  the  sunniest  days  in  our  life  often  end  in  a  storm.  I 
found  my  father  ill,  and  a  very  few  days  after  my  return  he 
closed  his  eyes  forever.  I  had  never  before  seen  any  one  die; 
and  the  first,  the  very  first,  was  my  father." 

Von  Dornburg  paused,  deeply  moved,  and  passed  his  hand 
across  his  eyes. 

"Your  father!"  said  Barbara,  breaking  the  silence  in  a 
voice  of  genuine  sympathy;  "  if  one  may  judge  of  a  tree  by  its 
fruit,  he  must  have  been  a  splendid  man. " 

The  young  man  looked  up  again  at  these  words,  and  his  eyes 
sparkled  as  he  said: 

"  Take  all  that  is  noble  and  combine  it  to  form  the  tall  and 
handsome  figure  of  a  man,  and  you  will  have  the  image  of  my 
father;  and  if  I  could  only  describe  my  mother — " 

"  She  is  still  alive?"  asked  Peter. 

"Please  God!"  cried  the  Jonker.  "But  for  the  last  two 
months  I  have  heard  nothing  of  my  family;  it  is  very  hard. 
Flowers  grow  by  every  road-side,  and  I  like  my  work  as  a 
soldier,  but  it  is  often  a  great  trouble  to  me  to  get  so  little 
news  from  home.  Oh,  if  one  were  but  a  bird,  or  a  sunbeam, 
or  a  wandering  star,  if  it  were  only  for  an  instant,  for  the 
winking  of  an  eye,  I  could  then  see  how  things  are  with  those 
at  home,  and  lift  up  my  soul  in  thankfulness,  or  if —  But  I  will 
not  think  of  that.  At  this  very  moment  the  trees  are  blos- 
soming and  the  flowers  sj)ringing  in  a  thousand  meadows  in 
the  valley  of  the  Saale,  exactly  as  they  are  doing  here,  and  as 
they  did  two  years  since  when  I  left  home  for  the  second  time. 
After  my  father's  death  I  was  his  heir,  but  neither  hunting, 
nor  riding  to  court,  nor  singing,  nor  the  clink  of  the  glass 
could  please  me.  I  went  about  as  if  half  asleep,  and  I  felt  as 
if  I  had  no  right  to  be  happy  without  my  father.  Then  one 
day — just  two  years  ago — a  messenger  brought  a  letter  from 
Weimar,  which  had  arrived  with  dispatches  from  Italy  to  his 
most  serene  highness  our  duke,  and  this  contained  news  no  less 
important  than  that  our  lost  brother  Ludwig  was  still  alive, 
but  sick  in  an  hospital  at  Bergamo.  A  good  sister  had  written 
for  him,  and  we  now  learned  that  he  had  been  taken  prisoner 
by  pirates  on  the  voyage  from  Valencia  to  Livorno,  and  car- 


1(18  tttt:  bttegomastee's  wtfe. 

jried  of!  to  Tunis.  All  the  sufferings  he  had  Uiere  endured, 
ami  all  ihf  dangers  he  had  gone  through,  before  he  at  last  suc- 
ceeded  in  escaping,  you  may  perhaps  care  to  hear  some  day. 

He  had  got  to  Italy  on  hoard  a  (ienoese  galley;  he  had  then 
dragged  himself  on  foot  as  far  as  Bergamo,  hut  he  could  get  no 
further,  and  was  now  lying  ill  —  dying,  perhaps  —  among 
strangers,  though  kind-hearted  ones.  1  set  out  without  delay, 
and  did  not  spare  my  horse  on  the  way  to  Bergamo;  and 
though  there  was  much  that  was  strange  and  beautiful  to  be 
seen  by  the  way,  I  took  little  pleasure  in  it  all,  for  the  thought- 
of  my  dying  brother  always  and  everywhere  saddened  my  mood 
and  spoiled  my  enjoj'mcnt.  Every  running  stream  seemed  to 
urge  me  to  haste,  and  the  mountain  wall  rose  before  me  like 
an" ominous  barrier  in  my  way.  Once  on  the  other  side  of  the 
St.  Grothard  my  spirits  rose,  and  as  I  rode  down  from  Bellin- 
zova  to  the  Lake  of  Lugano,  and  the  mirror-like  waters  lay 
spread  out  in  front  of  the  town,  smiling  up  at  me  like  a  bright 
blue  eye,  I  forgot  my  anxiety  for  awhile  and  waved  my  hat 
and  sung  a  snatch  of  a  song.  At  Bergamo  I  found  my  brother, 
alive  indeed,  but  utterly  broken  in  mind  and  body — wasted, 
and  without  any  care  or  wish  to  bear  the  burden  of  life  any 
longer.  He  had,  however,  been  in  good  hands,  and  in  the 
course  of  a  few  weeks  we  were  able  to  travel  home — this  time 
we  took  the  beautiful  road  through  the  Tyrol.  Ludwig's 
strength  increased  daily,  but  the  wings  of  his  spirit  had  been 
broken  and  crippled  by  suffering.  For  years  he  had  been 
digging  in  the  fierce  sunshine,  or  carrying  burdens  with  fetters 
on  his  ankles.  His  master,  the  Ritter  Brand,  had  soon  suc- 
cumbed to  his  dreadful  fate,  and  Ludwig  had  forgotten  alike 
how  to  laugh  or  to  cry  in  Tunis;  and  who  shall  say  which  we 
can  best  dispense  with?  Even  when  he  saw  his  mother  again 
he  could  not  shed  a  tear,  and  yet  his  whole  body  trembled  with 
emotion,  and  his  heart,  too,  you  may  be  sure.  He  is  still  mas- 
ter at  our  castle;  but  he  is  an  old  man  in  the  prime  of  his 
years,  and  though  he  gets  on  very  well  in  his  daily  life,  he 
can  not  bear  the  sight  of  a  strange  face.  I  had  quite  a  battle 
with  him,  for  by  right  and  law  the  castle  and  land  belong  to 
him  as  the  eldest,  and  he  wanted  to  give  up  his  rights  and  put 
me  in  his  place.  When  he  gained  over  my  mother  to  his  side, 
and  my  uncle  and  brothers  and  sisters  endeavored  to  persuade 
me  to  do  as  he  wished,  I  remained  firm.  I  will  have  nothing 
to  do  with  what  does  not  concern  me,  and  our  next  brother 
Wolfgang  is  grown  up,  and  can  quite  well  take  my  place  when 
necessary.  At  last,  when  I  had  had  too  much  of  entreaties 
and  arguments,  I  saddled  my  horse  and  again  rode  off  into 


THE    BUKGOMASTEK'S   WIFE.  169 

the  world.  My  mother  could  hardly  bear  to  let  me  go;  but  I 
had  tasted  the  joys  of  a  wandering  life,  and  rode  off  as  if  I 
were  starting  to  be  married.  Indeed,  to  be  perfectly  honest, 
I  gave  up  the  castle  and  estate  as  an  onerous  burden.  As  free 
once  more  as  the  winds  and  clouds,  I  took  the  same  road  as  I 
had  ridden  along  with  Leonhard,  for  a  war  after  my  own  heart 
was  being  fought  in  your  country,  and  my  future  lot  was  to 
depend  on  my  sword.  At  Cologne  I  placed  myself  under  the 
standard  of  Louis  of  Nassau,  and  I  fought  with  him  at  Mook 
Heath — fought  till  not  a  man  could  stand  his  ground  any 
longer.  My  horse  was  killed,  my  buff  coat  torn,  my  knapsack 
lost,  and  hardly  anything  was  left  to  me  but  a  stout  heart  and 
a  hope  for  better  days.  These  soon  dawned,  for  Captain  Gens- 
fort  invited  me  to  join  the  English  troops.  I  was  his  ensign, 
and  at  Alfen  I  stood  by  his  side  till  our  last  charge  of  powder 
was  spent.     How  things  went  after  that  you  know. " 

"  And  Captain  van  der  Laen,"  Peter  put  in,  "  has  told  us 
that  he  owes  his  life  to  you.     You  fought  like  a  lion." 

"  Well,  it  was  warm  work,  no  doubt,  by  the  fort,  and  yet 
neither  I  nor  my  horse  had  a  hair  singed;  and  this  time  I 
brought  away  my  knapsack  and  all  my  baggage.  Fortune, 
like  a  mother,  loves  her  graceless  children  best,  and  so  she  has 
brought  me  to  you  and  yours,  burgomaster. " 

"  I  can  only  beg  you,"  said  Peter,  "  to  account  yourself  as 
one  of  my  family;  we  have  two  pleasant  rooms  across  the 
court-yard,  and  they  shall  be  set  in  order  for  you  if  you  like  to 
make  use  of  them." 

"With  jDleasure,"  said  the  baron;  and  Peter,  offering  him 
his  hand,  went  on : 

"  My  duties  call  me  away,  but  you  can  tell  the  women  what 
you  will  require  and  when  you  think  you  will  take  possession. 
The  sooner  the  better,  so  far  as  we  are  concerned.  Is  it  not 
so,  Maria?" 

"  Indeed  you  are  very  welcome,  Jonker  Georg.  Now  I  must 
go  and  see  the  invalid  we  are  nursing  here;  Barbara  will  attend 
to  your  wishes. " 

And  Maria,  taking  her  husband's  hand,  quitted  the  room 
with  him.  The  widow,  left  alone  with  their  visitor,  did  her 
best  to  find  out  all  she  could  wish  for,  and  then  followed  her 
sister-in-law,  whom  she  found  with  Henrika. 

"  Ah!"  she  exclaimed,  clasping  her  hands,  "  that  is  a  man 
indeed!  Mistress  Henrika,  I  am  an  old  woman,  and  I  can  tell 
you  I  never  yet  saw  such  another.  Brave,  tender,  and  then  so 
handsome!     When  fortune  bestows  her  gifts  she  does  it  in 


170  THE    BTJBGOMASTEB'S   WTEE. 

bushels,  and  'he  that  hath,  to  him  shall  it  he  given.'     True 
words — golden  words,  these!" 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 

Peter  had  promised  Ilenrika  that  he  would  petition  the 
Council  to  provide  her  with  an  escort.  It  was  a  hard  wrench 
to  leave  the  burgomaster's  house.  Maria's  sweet  nature  had 
done  her  good;  she  felt  as  if  her  respect  for  her  sex  generally 
had  risen  in  her  society.  Yesterday,  too,  Maria  had  sung  to 
her,  and  her  voice  was  like  everything  else  about  her.  Every 
note  was  juire  and  clear  as  a  bell,  and  it  was  a  grief  to  her  that 
for  the  present  she  was  forbidden  to  join  her  voice  to  her 
friend's  in  part-singing.  She  was  sorry,  too,  to  leave  the  chil- 
dren. Still,  go  she  must,  if  only  for  Anna's  sake;  for  her 
father  was  not  to  be  moved  by  anything  she  could  say  by  let- 
ter. If  she  had  written  her  ajapeal  for  forgiveness  for  his  out- 
cast child,  he  would  scarcely  have  read  it  to  the  end.  By 
speech  at  some  favorable  moment  she  might  be  more  likely  to 
touch  him;  she  must  speak  to  him,  though  she  shuddered  at 
the  thought  of  her  life  at  home  in  his  castle,  particularly  as 
she  could  but  confess  to  herself  that  she  was  anything  rather 
than  indisjDensable  to  her  father.  To  secure  a  fortune,  he  had 
delivered  her  over  to  a  hell  on  earth  existence  with  her  aunt ; 
while  she  was  lying  sick  unto  death  he  had  gone  off  to  a  tour- 
ney; and  a  letter  she  had  received  from  him  only  yesterday 
contained  nothing  but  the  information  that  he  had  been  out- 
lawed from  the  town,  and  an  injunction  to  jn'oceed  forthwith 
to  the  house  of  Baron  de  Heuter,  at  the  Hague.  Inclosed  in 
it  there  was  a  safe  conduct  from  Valdez,  the  S]ianish  com- 
mander-in-chief, requiring  all  King  Philip's  officers  and  men 
at  arms  to  care  for  her  safety.  The  burgomaster  had  jn'oposcd 
that  she  should  be  carried  in  a  litter,  escorted  by  a  flag  of  truce 
as  far  as  the  Spanish  lines,  and  the  doctor  raised  no  further 
objections  to  her  setting  out.  She  hoped  to  start  this  very 
day. 

She  was  sitting  dreaming  in  the  bow-window  that  looked  out 
upon  the  court-yard.  Some  of  the  windows  of  the  side  build- 
ings to  the  east  were  set  wide  open;  Trautchen  must  have  got 
up  early,  for  she  came  out  of  the  rooms  which  had  been  made 
ready  for  the  baron,  followed  by  a  young  girl  carrying  a 
quantity  of  pails  and  cleaning  apparatus.  Then  Game  Janke 
with  a  large  easy-chair  on  his  head,  and  Elizabeth  called  out 
to  him: 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE.  171 

"  That  is  Aunt  Barbel's  grandfather's  chair.  What  will  she 
sleep  in  now  of  an  afternoon?" 

Henrika  heard  the  question,  and  her  thoughts  turned  to 
the  worthy  old  woman,  Babetta,"  who  had  such  warm  and 
tender  feelings,  and  then  to  Maria,  and  to  the  man  who  was 
presently  to  take  up  his  quarters  in  those  rooms.  Did  not  the 
old  tie  which  had  bound  the  burgomaster's  wife  to  the  hand- 
some Jonker  still  hold  them  together  by  a  few  slender  threads? 
She  shuddered  to  think  of  it.  Poor  Master  Peter!  poor  Maria! 
Was  she  doing  right  to  leave  the  young  woman,  who  had  held 
out  a  hand  at  her  utmost  need,  at  this  very  juncture?  And 
yet  how  much  less  near  to  her  was  this  stranger  than  her  be- 
loved sister!  Every  day  she  allowed  herself  to  spend  in  this 
peaceful  retreat  had  seemed  to  her  to  be  stolen  from  Anna, 
ever  since  she  had  found  a  letter  addressed  to  her  husband — 
the  only  one  she  had  read  of  those  contained  in  D' Avila's  port- 
folio— in  which  she  told  him  that  she  was  ill,  and  that  she  and 
her  child  were  in  absolute  want. 

Here  help  was  needed  indeed,  and  none  but  she  could 
give  it. 

She  packed  her  things  with  Maria's  and  Barbara's  assistance; 
by  midday  all  was  ready  for  the  start,  and  she  would  not  be 
hindered  from  dining  to-day  for  the  first  time  with  the  family 
in  the  eating-room.  Peter  was  not  coming  home  to  dinner, 
so  she  sat  in  his  place,  and  tried  to  conceal  the  grief  and  pain 
that  filled  her  soul  under  forced  and  noisy  gayety.  As  even- 
ing came  on,  Maria  and  the  children  went  up  to  her  room  with 
her,  and  she  made  them  bring  up  a  harp  that  she  might  sing. 
At  first  her  deep  voice  failed  her  on  many  notes,  but  just  as 
snow  when  it  is  slipping  down  a  mountain  slope  to  the  plain 
below  falls  slowly  at  first,  pausing  as  it  glides,  but  quickly 
grows  in  mass  and  force,  and  gains  solidity  and  roundness,  so 
her  low  tones  gradually  swelled  in  fullness  and  enchanting 
power,  and  when  at  length  she  leaned  the  harp  against  the 
wall  and  sunk  exhausted  on  her  chair,  Maria  seized  her  hand, 
and  said,  with  deep  emotion : 

"  Henrika,  stay  with  us." 

'I  must  not,"  answered  the   girl.     "Besides,   you  are 
enough  for  each  other.     Shall  I  take  you  with  me,  children?" 

Adrian  looked  down,  puzzled;  but  Elizabeth  flung  herself 
into  Henrika's  lap,  exclaiming: 

"  Where  are  you  going  to?    Oh,  stay — do  stay  with  us!" 

There  was  a  tap  at  the  door,  and  Peter  came  into  the  room. 
It  was  easy  to  see  at  once  that  he  brought  no  good  tidings. 
The  council  had  refused  his  application.    Van  Bronkhorst  had 


172  Till:   burgomaster's  wife. 

been  almost  unanimously  supported  when  lie  proposed  that 
Mistress  Benrika  van  Boogstraten,  as  being  related  to  one  of 
the  most  distinguished  adherents  of  the  Spaniards  among  the 

nobles  of  Holland,  should  be  detained  within  the  walls  of  the 
town.  It'  they  should  he  driven  to  surrender,  though  her  pres- 
ence would  scarcely  protect  them  against  fire  and  sword,  it 
might  secure  some  consideration  for  the  leaders. 

Peter's  objection  had  met  with  no  attention,  and  he  now 
honestly  told  Henrika  of  the  battle  he  had  fought  for  her,  and 
begged  her  to  take  patience  and  to  be  content  to  remain  in  his 
house  as  a  most  welcome  guest. 

She  interrupted  him  with  many  vehement  expressions  of  in- 
dignation and  wrath,  but  presently  grew  calmer. 

"  You!"  she  cried,  "  you — -yes,  I  will  gladly  stay  with  you 
— but  you  know  what  it  is  that  this  base  act  of  violence  pre- 
vents my  doing.  Besides,  to  be  a  prisoner — to  live  on  for 
weeks,  months,  without  mass  and  without  confession!  Still, 
first  and  last,  good  heavens!  what  wdl  become  of  my  unhappy 
sister?" 

Maria  looked  pathetically  at  her  husband,  and  Peter  said: 

"  If  you  are  pining  for  the  consolations  of  your  religion,  I 
will  send  Father  Damianus  to  you,  and  you  can  hear  mass  at 
the  Carmelite  Sisters',  hard  by,  as  often  as  you  please.  We 
are  not  fighting  against  your  faith,  only  for  the  free  exercise 
of  every  creed,  and  the  whole  town  is  open  to  you.  My  wife 
can  better  help  you  to  bear  your  trouble  about  your  sister  than 
I  can;  but  allow  me  to  assure  you,  once  for  all,  that  M'henever 
and  however  I  may  be  able  to  help  you,  I  will  do  it,  and  not 
with  words  alone." 

As  he  spoke  he  held  out  his  hand  to  Henrika,  who  gave  him 
hers,  saying  as  she  did  so: 

"  I  owe  you  many  thanks,  and  know  it  well,  but  let  me  beg 
you  to  leave  me  now,  and  give  me  till  to-morrow  to  tliink  it 
over." 

"  Is  there  no  hope  of  changing  the  decision  of  the  Council?" 
Maria  asked. 

"  No,  certainly;  none." 

"  Well,  then/'  she  said,  firmly,  "  you  must  remain  with  us. 
The  thought  of  your  sister  does  not  trouble  you  alone,  but 
disturbs  me  too.  Let  us  first  consider  what  can  be  done  for 
her.     How  about  the  roads  to  Delft?" 

"  They  are  cut  off,  and  by  to-morrow  or  the  day  after  not 
a  soul  will  be  able  to  pass." 

"  Then  collect  your  ideas,  Henrika,  and  let  us  try  whatever 
is  still  left  open  to  us. " 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  1?3 

Then  began  questions  and  discussion,  and  Henrika  gazed  in 
astonishment  at  the  gentle  young  wife,  for  she,  with  unfailing 
decisiveness  and  acumen,  took  the  lead  in  their  consultation. 
It  seemed  finally  that  the  surest  way  would  be  to  send  a  trust- 
worthy messenger  that  very  day  with  some  money  to  Anna 
d'Avila,  to  bring  her,  if  jwssible,  back  to  Holland.  The  burgo- 
master expressed  himself  willing  to  advance  out  of  his  own 
pocket  a  portion  of  the  legacy  left  to  Henrika's  sister  by  their 
aunt,  which,  though  sequestrated  for  the  present,  was  certain 
to  be  paid  ultimately,  and  he  took  his  guest's  gratitude  very 
unaffectedly. 

But  whom  could  they  send?  Henrika  thought  of  Wilhelm 
the  organist,  since  he  was  already  a  friend  of  her  sister's. 

"  But  he  is  under  arms,"  said  the  burgomaster.  "  I  know 
him  well.  In  this  time  of  peril  he  will  certainly  not  quit  the 
town;  not  for  his  own  mother!" 

"But  I  know  the  right  person,"  said  Maria;  "  we  will  send 
Jonker  Georg. " 

"  That  is  well  thought  of!"  cried  Peter.  "We  shall  find 
him  at  his  inn  at  this  hour.  I  must  go  to  see  Van  Hout,  and 
he  lives  close  to  the  Exchange  Inn.  I  will  send  the  German 
to  you;  my  time  is  limited,  and  fair  ladies  can  do  more  to  per- 
suade a  young  fellow  than  an  elderly  man  ever  can.  Now, 
farewell,  mistress,  and  once  more  I  say,  we  are  happy  in  hav- 
ing you  for  our  guest." 

When  the  burgomaster  had  left  the  room,  Henrika  spoke: 

"  How  quickly  everything  has  come  about,  and  how  differ- 
ently from  what  I  had  expected!  I  love  you — I  am  grateful 
to  you;  but  to  be  a  prisoner,  a  prisoner!  The  walls  will  seem 
to  close  in  upon  me  and  the  ceiling  to  crush  me.  Ought  I  to 
be  glad,  ought  I  to  despair?  I  know  not.  You,  Maria,  have 
great  influence  over  the  baron;  tell  him  about  Anna;  appeal 
to  his  feelings,  and  if  he  would  indeed  set  out  it  would  be  the 
best  thing  for  us  both." 

"  For  you  and  your  sister,  you  mean,"  said  Maria,  with  an 
evasive  gesture  of  her  hand.  "  Here  is  the  lamp;  when  Jon- 
ker Georg  comes  you  shall  see  me  again." 

Maria  withdrew  to  her  own  room,  and  threw  herself  on  a 
couch,  but  she  soon  started  up  again,  and  began  walking  rest- 
lessly up  and  down.  Presently  she  flung  up  her  arms,  her 
hands  clasped  in  supplication,  and  cried  aloud: 

"Oh,  he  must  go — he  must  go!  Merciful  God!  loving, 
pitiful  Father  in  heaven,  send  him  every  happiness,  every 
blessing,  but  leave  mo  my  peace  of  mind.  Take  him  away; 
lead  him  far,  far  away  from  hence." 


174  the  burgomaster's  wife. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

The  Exchange  Inn  stood  in  the  Breede  Street,  and  was  a 
fine  tall  house  with  a  large  court-yard,  in  which  a  number  of 
vehicles  were  standing.  To  the  left  of  the  entrance  was  a 
large  room,  not  elosed  by  any  door,  but  entered  through  a  high 
anhway.  Here  sat  the  drivers  and  other  folks  of  that  class 
over  their  beer  or  wine,  making  no  objection  when  mine  host's 
cocks  and  hens  perched  on  the  benches,  or  even  flew  uj)  on  to 
the  table;  here,  by  the  wide  hearth-place,  vegetables  were 
washed,  and  boiling  and  roasting  were  performed;  here,  not 
uncommonly,  the  stout  hostess  was  compelled  to  call  in  the 
assistance  of  her  buxom  maids  and  the  tapster  when  her  cus- 
tomers fell  to  fisticuffs,  or  a  toper  had  had  too  much  good 
liquor.  Here,  too,  tobacco  was  smoked — a  newly  imported 
fashion — only,  it  is  true,  by  a  few  sailors  who  had  served  on 
board  Spanish  vessels;  but  Dame  van  A  ken  could  not  bear  the 
pungent  vapor,  and  kept  the  window  open,  where  blossoming 
pinks  and  tall  balsams  stood,  and  cages  hung  with  bright- 
colored  goldfinches. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  entrance  there  were  two  closed 
rooms.  Over  the  door  of  the  first,  neatly  carved  in  wood,  was 
this  line  from  Horace: 


"  Ille  terrarum  mihi  praeter  omnes 
Angulus  ridet." 

To  this  room,  which  was  long  and  narrow,  only  a  few  guests 
of  distinction  were  admitted;  it  was  paneled  with  wood 
throughout,  and  from  the  center  of  the  richly  carved  ceiling  a 
quaint  picture  in  gaudy  coloring  looked  down,  representing  the 
host  of  the  inn.  The  worthy  man,  with  a  clean-shaved  face, 
tightly  closed  lips,  and  a  nose  so  straight  that  it  might  have 
served  as  a  guide  for  its  owner's  etching-needle,  sat  on  a 
throne,  dressed  as  a  Roman  warrior,  while  Vulcan  and 
Bacchus,  Minerva  and  Pomona  offered  him  gifts.  Klaus 
van  Aken,  or,  as  he  much  preferred  to  be  called,  Nikola  us 
Aquanus,  was  indeed  a  remarkable  man,  who  had  been  well 
endowed  by  more  than  one  of  the  Olymjnan  powers,  and  who, 
besides  attending  to  his  business,  devoted  himself  zealously  to 
learning,  and  to  more  than  one  branch  of  art.  He  was  a 
clever  silversmith,  a  die-cutter  and  engraver  of  considerable 
skill,  and  at  the  same  time  a  great  connoisseur  in  coins,  and  a 
diligent  student  and  collector  of  antiquities.     His  little  inn 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE.  175 

parlor  was  at  the  same  time  a  museum;  on  the  shelves  which 
ran  all  round  it  were  rare  and  curious  objects  of  every  kind  in 
great  numbers,  and  admirably  arranged:  old  tankards  and 
jugs;  coins,  large  and  small;  gems  in  carefully  locked  glass 
cases;  antique  lamps  in  clay  and  bronze;  fragments  of  stone  in 
ancient  Eoman  inscriptions;  Italian  and  Greek  terra-cottas; 
carved  marbles  that  he  had  picked  up  among  ruins  in  Italy — 
such  as  the  head  of  a  faun,  an  arm,  a  foot,  and  other  frag- 
ments of  antique  statuary;  a  fine  enameled  reliquary  of  Byzan- 
tine workmanship;  and  another,  also  enamel,  from  Limoges. 
Part  of  a  Roman  breastplate  and  a  piece  of  mosaic  from  some 
Roman  bath  were  here,  too,  and  among  these  antiquities  stood 
some  slender  Venetian  glasses,  pine-cones,  and  ostrich  eggs. 
Such  another  inn  room  was  hardly  to  be  found  in  all  Holland, 
and  the.  wine,  too,  was  exceptionally  good,  which  was  served 
to  the  guests  by  a  neat  waitress,  and  poured  out  of  quaintly 
formed  flagons  into  finely  wrought  glasses.  In  this  room,  too, 
Master  Aquanus  was  wont  to  entertain  his  guests  himself;  in 
that  on  the  opposite  side  his  wife  ruled  the  roast. 

This  evening  the  "  Angulus,"  as  the  pretty  parlor  was  very 
commonly  called,  was  as  yet  scantily  occupied,  for  the  sun  had 
only  just  set;  the  candles,  however,  were  already  lighted. 
They  were  fixed  on  tall,  three-branched  iron  candlesticks  of 
which  every  portion — from  the  slender  shaft  to  the  curved, 
twisted  and  intertwining  tendrils — had  been  wrought  by  the 
careful  hand  of  Aquanus  himself.  Two  or  three  elderly  men 
were  sitting  at  a  table  over  their  wine;  at  another  were  Captain 
van  der  Lane,  a  valiant  Hollander  in  the  English  service,  who 
had  come  into  the  town  with  the  other  defenders  of  Alfen, 
Wilhelm  the  musician,  Jonker  Georg,  and  the  host  of  the  inn, 
on  whom  he  had  been  billeted. 

'  It  is  a  real  pleasure  to  meet  with  a  man  like  you,  Jonker," 
said  Aquanus;  "  you  have  traveled  with  your  eyes  open,  and 
what  you  tell  me  of  Brescia  excites  my  curiosity.  I  should 
like  to  have  that  inscription. " 

'I  will  bring  it  to  you/' replied  the  baron;  "for  if  the 
Spaniards  do  not  send  me  off  into  the  other  world,  I  shall  cer- 
tainly cross  the  Alps  again  some  day.  Have  you  not  found 
Roman  antiquities  here  and  there  in  your  own  country?" 

1  Yes,  baron;  by  the  Roomburg  Canal,  on  the  site  perhaps 
of  the  ancient  Praetorium,  and  at  Katwyk.  Near  Voorburg 
the  Forum  Hadriani  probably  stood ;  and  from  thence  came 
the  breastplate  which  I  showed  you. " 

;'  An  old,  battered  thing,  half  eaten  away  by  verdigris," 
exclaimed   Georg,  "  and  yet  what  thoughts  rise  up  in  our 


17G  THE    BUBGOMASTEB'S   "WIFE. 

minds  al  the  .-- I^rl 1 1  of  it!  Some  Roman  armorer  may  have 
wroughi  it  for  the  wandering  Caesar  himself!  "When  I  see  that 
old  armor  all  Rome  and  its  legions  Beem  to  rise  before  my  eyes. 
Happy  is  he  who,  like  you.  Master  Wilhelm,  has  seen  the 
Tiber,  and  there  gazed  backward  from  the  present  to  the 
heroic  age!" 

"  J  should  gladly  visit  Italy  again  in  your  company/'  re- 
plied Wilhelm. 

"  And  I  in  yours." 

"  First,  we  must  secure  our  freedom,"  said  the  musician. 
"  If  we  succeed  in  that,  every  man  will  be  his  own  master  once 
more,  and  then — why  should  I  conceal  it? — nothing  will  tie 
me  to  Leyden. " 

"  Your  organ?    And  your  father?"  asked  Aquanus. 

"  My  brothers  are  content  to  sit  here  in  the  warm  family 
nest,"  replied  "Wilhelm.  "  But  I  feel  something  stirring  and 
driving  in  me — " 

"  Ay,  we  find  rushing  streams  and  stagnant  waters  on  the 
face  of  the  earth,"  interrupted  Georg,  "  and  in  heaven  there 
are  fixed  stars,  while  the  planets  can  not  cease  from  wander- 
ing. So  it  is  among  men;  some,  like  plants,  love  their  native 
spot  better  than  any  other,  while  we,  again,  are  birds  of  pass- 
age.  "Well,  I  like  our  sort  best.  To  be  sure,  you  need  not  go 
so  far  as  Italy  to  hear  fine  singing.  I  heard  just  now  a  voice 
> — such  a  voice — " 

"  "Where?  you  make  me  quite  curious." 

"  In  the  court-yard  of  Van  der  Werff's  house." 

"  It  is  the  burgomaster's  wife." 

"  Oh,  no;  her  voice  is  quite  different.  " 

The  captain  had  risen  as  he  spoke,  and  was  looking  at  his 
host's  treasures  and  curiosities,  and  he  now  paused  in  front  of 
a  circular  panel  on  which  the  head  of  an  ox  was  sketched  in 
charcoal  with  extraordinary  freedom,  boldness,  and  truth. 

"  You  have  a  fine  head  of  cattle  here,"  he  said  to  Aquanus. 

"  Ay,  and  no  less  a  man  drew  it  than  Frans  Floris,"  replied 
Aquanus.  "He  came  here  once  from  Brussels,  and  called 
upon  our  Master  Artjen.  But  the  old  man  was  out,  so  Floris 
took  a  piece  of  charcoal  and  drew  this  sketch  with  it.  As  soon 
as  Artjen  came  in  and  saw  the  ox's  head  he  exclaimed:  '  That 
Mas  Frans  Floris  or  the  devil!'  This  story —  but  here  comes 
his  worship  the  burgomaster.  You  are  welcome,  Master  Peter! 
This  is  a  rare  honor." 

All  the  company  rose  and  greeted  Van  der  WerfE  with  re- 
spect, while  Georg  sjjrung  up  and  offered  him  his  seat.  Peter 
accepted  it,  and  sat  down  for  a  few  minutes  and  drank  a  glass 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  177 

of  wine,  and  then  signed  to  the  baron  to  come  with  him  into 
the  street.  There  he  briefly  begged  him  to  go  to  his — Van  der 
Werff 's — house,  for  a  communication  of  importance  was  await- 
ing him  there;  and  then  the  burgomaster  went  on  to  Van 
Hout's  house,  which  was  close  at  hand. 

Georg  went  as  he  was  requested,  in  a  mood  of  grave  excite- 
ment. The  "  communication  "  could  hardly  come  from  any 
one  but  Maria,  and  what  could  she  require  of  him  at  so  late  an 
hour?  Had  his  worthy  friend  begun  to  regret  having  offered 
him  rooms  in  his  own  house?  He  was  to  have  taken  possession 
of  his  new  quarters  early  next  morning — perhaps  he  was  to  be 
apprised  of  their  change  of  purpose  before  it  should  be  too 
late.  Maria's  manner  when  they  had  met  was  different  from 
what  it  had  formerly  been — there  was  no  doubt  of  that;  but  it 
was  very  natural  that  it  should  be.  He  had  dreamed,  it  is 
true,  of  a  very  different  meeting — ay,  far  different !  He  had 
come  to  Holland  to  uphold  the  good  cause  of  the  Prince  of 
Orange;  still  he  would  have  turned  his  horse's  head  toward 
Italy  the  beloved,  instead  of  northward,  if  he  had  not  hoped  to 
find  in  Holland  the  woman  he  had  never  forgotten,  and  whom 
he  had  never  ceased  to  long  to  see  once  more.  Now  she  was 
the  wife  of  another — of  a  man  who  had  shown  him  kindness 
and  had  treated  him  with  simple  confidence.  To  tear  the  love 
out  of  his  heart  was  impossible;  but  he  owed  it  to  her  husband 
and  to  his  own  honor  that  he  should  stand  firm,  should 
smother  every  idea  of  making  her  his  own  and  be  satisfied 
merely  to  see  her — this  at  least  he  must  try  to  carry  out. 

All  this  he  had  told  himself,  and  more  than  once;  and  yet 
he  was  conscious  of  treading  a  plank  over  an  abyss,  and  that 
with  an  unsteady  foot,  when  she  met  him  at  the  dining-room 
door,  and  he  felt  how  cold  and  tremulous  her  hand  was  as  she 
took  his. 

She  led  the  way,  and  he  followed  her  in  silence  to  Henrika's 
room.  Henrika  greeted  him  Avith  a  friendly  nod;  both  the 
women  hesitated  to  speak  the  first  words.  He,  however,  after 
glancing  round  him,  perceived  that  the  room  they  were  in 
faced  the  court-yard,  and  said  eagerly: 

"  I  was  down  below  there  just  before  sunset  looking  at  my 
new  quarters,  and  I  heard  here — up  here  in  this  room — a  voice 
singing — and  ah,  what  singing!  At  first  I  did  not  know  what 
was  coming,  for  the  notes  were  husky,  dull,  and  broken;  but 
then  it  made  its  way  like  a  lava  stream  through  ashes.  I  coind 
almost  wish  many  griefs  to  a  singer  who  can  lament  in  such 
tones. ' ' 

"  You  must  make  acquaintance  witk  the  singer/'  said  Maria3 


178  THE    ]JU  ROOM  ASTER'S   WIFE. 

turning  to  the  girl:  "Mistress  Henrika  van  Iloogstratcn,  our 
dear  ami  esteemed  guest." 

"  And  it  was  you  who  were  singing?"  asked  Georg. 

"  Arc  you  surprised?"  said  Henrika.  "  It  is  true  my  voice 
has  kept  an  its  strength  better  than  my  body,  which  is  weak- 
ened by  a  long  illness.  I  can  feel  how  hollow  my  eyes  must 
look,  and  how  pale  my  cheeks  must  be.  Singing  no  doubt 
eases  pain,  but  I  have  long  enough  had  to  do  without  that  con- 
solation. For  weeks  not  a  note  have  I  sung,  and  now  my  heart 
is  so  heavy  that  I  could  cry  rather  than  sing.  '  What  does 
that  matter  to  me?'  no  doubt  you  are  thinking;  but  Maria 
encourages  me  to  ask  of  you  a  really  unheard-of  knightly 
service." 

"  Speak,  speak,"  cried  Georg,  eagerly.  "If  Dame  Maria 
claims  it,  and  if  I  can  do  anything  to  serve  you,  gracious  mis- 
tress, here  I  stand — command  me  as  you  will. " 

Henrika  did  not  shun  his  open  gaze. 

"  You  must  hear  first,"  she  said,  "  what  it  is  that  I  require. 
And  to  begin  with,  you  must  submit  to  listen  to  a  short  his- 
tory. But  I  am  still  very  weak,  and  have  tried  my  strength 
to-day  rather  severely;  Maria  must  speak  for  me." 

The  young  woman  fulfilled  the  task  quietly  and  clearly, 
ending  with  these  words: 

"  I  myself  thought  of  the  messenger  we  need — it  must  be 
you,  Jonker  Georg." 

Henrika  had  not  once  interrupted  her  friend's  narrative,  but 
she  now  added,  with  eager  warmth: 

"  I  never  saw  you  till  to-day,  but  I  trust  you  entirely.  Only 
a  few  hours  since  black  was  my  color,  but  if  you  will  indeed 
be  my  true  knight  I  will  choose  green,  bright  green,  for  I  shall 
begin  to  be  hopeful  again.  Will  you  venture  on  this  ride  for 
me?"  Georg  had  sat  till  now  with  his  eyes  cast  down  to  the 
ground;  he  now  raised  his  head,  saying: 

"  If  I  can  get  leave  I  place  myself  at  your  disposal;  but  my 
lady's  color  is  blue,  and  I  can  wear  no  other."  Henrika "s  lips 
twitched  a  little,  but  the  young  man  went  on:  "  Captain  van 
der  Laen  is  my  superior  officer.  I  will  go  and  speak  with  him 
at  once. " 

"  And  if  he  says  no?"  Maria  asked.  Henrika  intercepted 
the  answer. 

"In  that  case,"  she  said,  proudly,  "I  Mould  beg  you  to 
send  Wilhelm  the  musician  to  see  ma" 

Georg  bowed  and  went  off  to  bis  inn. 

As  soon  as  the  two  women  were  alone,  Henrika  asked: 

"  Do  you  know  who  is  the  lady  of  the  Baron  von  Dornburg?" 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  179 

"How. should  I?"  said  Maria.  "  But  now  give  yourself  a 
little  rest,  mistress.  As  soon  as  the  Jonker  returns  I  will 
bring  him  up  to  you." 

She  left  the  room  and  sat  down  with  Barbara  to  her  spin- 
ning-wheel; it  was  long  before  Georg  returned.  At  last,  about 
midnight,  he  came  back;  not  alone,  however,  but  with  two 
companions.  It  was  not  within  the  captain's  power  to  give 
him  leave  for  so  many  weeks — for  the  journey  to  Lugano 
would  take  a  long  time;  but  the  baron  had  at  once  gone  to 
consult  with  Wilhelm,  and  he  had  hit  upon  the  right  man  for 
the  task.  The  musician  had  soon  come  to  an  understanding 
with  him,  and  had  brought  him  with  him  without  delay.  It 
was  Belotti,  the  old  major-domo. 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 

By  noon  on  the  following  day  there  was  a  great  stir  on  the 
spacious  shooting-ground — still  known  as  the  Doelen — lying 
not  far  from  the  White  Gate,  between  the  Bapenburg  and  the 
town  wall;  for  the  town  council  had  decreed  that  every  citizen 
and  inhabitant,  without  exception,  whether  poor  or  rich,  hum- 
ble or  noble,  should  there  take  a  solemn  oath  to  remain  faith- 
ful and  devoted  to  the  prince  and  the  good  cause. 

Under  a  clump  of  noble  lime-trees,  and  dressed  in  holiday 
attire,  stood  the  prince's  representative,  Van  Bronkhorst,  the 
burgomaster  Van  der  Werff,  and  two  recorders,  before  whom 
the  vast  concourse  of  men,  old,  middle-aged,  and  young  alike 
were  each  to  swear  in  turn.  The  solemn  ceremony  had  not 
yet  begun,  when  Janus  Dousa,  in  full  uniform  as  commandant, 
with  his  breastplate  over  his  buff  leather  gorget  and  his  helmet 
on  his  head,  came  up,  arm  in  arm  with  Van  Hout,  to  Van  der 
AVerff  and  Van  Bronkhorst. 

'  Here  we  see  the  same  thing  again!"  he  said.  "  Of  the 
working-men  and  common  townsfolk  not  a  man  is  absent,  but 
the  gentlefolk  in  velvet  and  fur  are  poorly  presented. " 

"They  ought  to  be  here  by  this  time!"  cried  the  town 
clerk,  angrily. 

'  What  good  will  forced  oaths  do  us?"  asked  the  burgo- 
master. "  Those  who  care  for  freedom  must  fight  for  free- 
dom. However,  this  day  will  show  us  in  whom  we  may  put 
our  trust." 

'  JSot  a  man  of  the  town  guard  is  missing,"  said  Van 
Bronkhorst.  "  That  is  good  to  see.  But  what  is  going  on  in 
the  lime-tree?" 


180  the  burgomaster's  wife. 

The  friends  looked  up  and  spied  Adrian,  who  was  rocking 
in  a  bongh  of  the  tree,  a  hidden  spectator  of  the  scene. 

"  That  boy  must  need  he  everywhere,"  cried  Peter.  "  Come 
down,  you  imp  of  mischief!   You  are  the  very  person  I  want." 

The  lad  hung  by  his  hands  to  a  branch,  and  let  himself  drop 
on  to  his  feet,  and  then  came  to  stand  before  his  Father  with  a 
woe-hegone  expression  of  rueful  penitence,  which  he  could  put 
on  on  occasion,  Peter,  however,  did  not  scold  him,  but  de- 
sired  him  to  run  home  to  his  mother,  and  tell  her  that  it  was 
no  longer  possible  to  send  Belotti  in  safety  through  the  Span- 
ish lines,  and  also  that  Father  Damianus  had  promised  him  to 
visit  Mistress  Henrika  in  the  course  of  the  day. 

"  Make  haste,  hoy,"  he  added;  "  and  yon,  town  watchmen, 
keeji  every  one  away  from  these  trees,  for  the  spot  where  men 
shall  swear  such  an  oatli  is  holy  ground.  The  ministers,  I  see, 
have  seated  themselves  out  there  by  the  butts;  they  may  come 
forward.  Will  you  have  the  goodness  to  invite  them  to  do  so, 
Master  van  Hout?  Dominie  Vertroot  will  give  us  a  discourse, 
and  then  I  myself  should  like  to  exhort  the  citizens  to  do  their 
duty  in  a  few  words." 

Van  Hout  went  as  he  was  requested,  hut  before  he  had 
reached  the  preachers  where  they  sat,  Van  Warmond  met  him 
and  informed  him  that  an  envoy,  a  smart  young  fellow,  had 
arrived  and  requested  to  parley.  He  was  now  at  the  White 
Gate,  and  had  a  letter  to  deliver. 

"  From  the  general  in  command?" 

"I  do  not  know;  but  the  youngster  is  a  Dutchman,  and  I 
fancy  that  I  know  him. " 

"  Bring  him  in;  but  he  must  be  content  to  wait  till  the  citi- 
zens have  sworn.  Then  he  may  go  and  tell  Valdez  what  he  has 
seen  and  heard.  It  will  be  a  good  thing  for  the  Castilians  to 
know  from  the  first  what  we  really  mean." 

The  Jonker  went,  and  by  the  time  he  returned  with  Nicolas 
van  Wibisma— for  he  was  the  envoy — Dominie  Vertroot's  ear- 
nest exhortation  was  ended  and  Van  der  Werff  was  addressing 
the  people.  The  sacred  fire  of  enthusiasm  glowed  in  his  eye, 
and  the  words  he  spoke  in  his  deep  and  powerful  tones  to  the 
assembled  confederates,  though  few  and  simple,  found  their 
way  straight  to  the  hearts  of  his  hearers.  Nicolas,  too,  listened 
to  his  speech  with  a  beating  heart,  and  he  felt  as  if  the  stal- 
wart, earnest  man  standing  under  the  lime-tree  spoke  to  him 
and  him  alone  when,  at  the  close,  he  raised  his  voice  and  ex- 
claimed, with  a  look  of  inspiration: 

"  And  now,  come  what  may!  A  brave  man,  one  of  us,  has 
said  this  very  day,  '  We  will  not  yield  so  long  as  we  have  an 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  181 

arm  left  on  our  body  wherewith  to  put  food  in  our  mouths  and 
to  wield  the  sword. '  If  we  are  all  of  this  mind,  twenty  Span- 
ish armies  will  meet  death  outside  these  walls.  The  freedom 
of  Holland  hangs  on  Leyden;  if  we  waver  and  fail  rather  than 
face  the  dearth  which  to-day  only  threatens  us,  but  which,  ere 
long,  will  clutch  us  and  torture  us,  our  children  will  say  of 
us:  '  The  men  of  Leyden  were  blind  cowards.  It  is  through 
their  fault  that  the  name  of  Hollander  is  esteemed  no  more 
highly  than  that  of  any  useful  slave.'  But  if  we  hold  out 
faithfully,  and  resist  these  dark  invaders  to  the  last  man  and 
to  our  last  morsel  of  food,  they  will  remember  us  with  tears, 
and  rejoice  as  they  say :  '  To  them  we  owe  it  that  our  brave, 
industrious,  and  happy  nation  can  proudly  hold  its  own  with 
other  nations,  and  need  no  longer  suiter  the  foul  cuckoo  to 
dwell  in  its  nest.'  Whoever  prizes  honor,  whoever  is  not  a  de- 
generate son  and  a  traitor  to  his  father's  house,  whoever  loves 
to  be  free  rather  than  a  slave — before  he  raises  his  hand  in  at- 
testation before  God,  let  him  shout  with  me:  '  Long  live  our 
guardian  genius,  the  Prince  of  Orange,  and  Holland's  free- 
dom!'" 

"  Long  live  Orange!"  shouted  and  roared  hundreds  of  loud, 
manly  voices,  five  times,  ten  times,  after  the  burgomaster. 
The  high  constable  fired  oil  the  mortars,  which  had  been 
placed  for  the  purpose  near  the  butts;  drums  rolled,  and  trum- 
pet-calls sounded  through  the  air;  bells  rung  out  over  the 
heads  of  the  excited  throng  from  every  tower  in  the  town,  and 
the  clamor  never  ceased  till  the  prince's  commissary  gave  the 
signal  for  the  ceremony  of  taking  the  oath  to  begin. 

The  various  guilds  and  the  armed  defenders  of  the  town 
came  up  in  companies  to  the  lime-trees.  There  they  held  up 
their  hands  to  swear,  vehemently,  no  doubt,  but  with  quiet 
dignity — nay,  with  devout  uplifting  of  their  minds;  and  those 
who  clasped  hands  did  it  with  fervent  purpose.  Hour  after 
hour  went  by  before  all  had  registered  their  oath;  and  many  a 
group  who  had  gone  up  to  swear  together  under  the  lime-tree 
pledged  themselves  a  second  time  to  each  other  out  in  the  ex- 
ercising ground,  with  a  silent  and  mutual  pressure. 

Nicolas  van  Wibisma  sat  in  silence  by  one  of  the  shooting 
stands,  just  in  front  of  the  scene  of  the  ceremony;  his  letter 
lay  on  his  knees,  and  his  heart  swelled  with  sad  and  bitter  feel- 
ing. Gladly  could  he  have  wept  aloud,  and  have  torn  his 
father's  missive  across.  Gladly  would  he  have  flown  to  join 
the  noble  Lord  of  Mxmtfoori  and  the  venerable  Herr  van  der 
Does,  as  he  saw  them  stand  hand  in  hand  to  swear,  and  have 


182  Till'    BURGOMASTER'S    wife. 

taken  the  oath  himself.     Ee  Longed  to  cry  out  to  the  brave 
burgomaster  as  be  stood  under  the  Lime-trees; 

"  I — ]  ;mi  no  degenerate  smi,  nor  a  traitor  to  my  fathers 
house!  I  will  never  be  a  slave;  I  will  not,  be  a  Spaniard.  I 
am  a  I  mtchman  as  much  as  you.  " 

But  In'  did  not,  stir,  he  did  not,  speak;  ho  sat  motionless  till 
all  was  over,  and  Jonk<  r  van  Wannond  led  him  up  to  the  lime- 
tree.  There  the  (own  clerk  and  the  two  Barons  \an  der  Noes 
had  joined  the  officials,  who  received  the  oath.  Nicolas  bowed 
Low,  and  Bilently  handed  his  father's  letter  to  the  burgomaster; 
Van  <\rv  Werff  opened  it,  and.  after  reading  it,  handed  it,  to 
the  others;  then  he  said,  turning  to  Nicolas: 

"  Wait  here,  Jonker.  Your  father  urges  us  to  surrender 
the  town  to  the  Spaniards,  and  promises  us  the  king's  clem- 
ency. You  can  have  no  doubt  as  to  what  the  answer  will  be 
after  what  you  have  witnessed  here." 

"  There  is  hut  one  possible  answer/'  said  Van  flout,  in  the 
middle  of  reading;  "  tear  the  thing  up,  and  say  nothing." 

"  Eide  home,  and  God  be  with  you!"  added  Janus  Dousa. 
"  But  stay — I  will  give  you  something  for  the  Spanish  com- 
mander-in-chief." 

"  Then  you  vouchsafe  no  reply  to  my  father's  letter?" 
asked  Nicolas. 

"  None,  Jonker.  We  wish  to  have  no  dealings  with  Baron 
Matenesse,"  replied  Van  Bronkhorst.  "  So  far  as  you  your- 
self are  concerned,  you  can  go  home  or  remain  here — that  is 
as  you  please. " 

"  Go  to  see  your  cousin,  Jonka,"  said  Dousa,  kindly.  '  It 
will  be  an  hour  yet  before  I  have  found  paper  and  pens  and 
wax  to  seal  my  letter;  and  Mistress  van  Hoogstraten  will  be 
glad  to  hear  of  her  father  from  you." 

"Yes;  if  you  like  to  go,  my  house  is  open  to  you,  young 
gentleman,"  added  the  burgomaster. 

Nicolas  hesitated  for  an  instant,  and  then  said,  hastily: 

"  Yes;  take  me  to  her." 

Baron  van  Warmond  undertook  to  escort  him,  and  when 
they  had  reached  the  street  known  as  the  Nordeinde,  Nicolas 
asked  him: 

"You  are  the  Jonker  van  Duivenvoorde,  Baron  of  War- 
mond?" 

"lam." 

"  And  you  were  with  the  Gueux  when  they  took  Brill  from 
the  Spaniards?" 

"  I  had  that  good  fortune." 


(( 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE.  383 

"  And  yet  yours  is  a  fine  old  title;  and  there  were  other 
nobles,  too,  among  the  Gueux?" 

"  To  be  sure;  and  do  you  suppose  it  is  any  discredit  to  us  to 
have'  a  heart  that  beats  true  for  the  home  of  our  fathers?  My 
ancestors,  like  yours,  were  noble  before  a  Spaniard  ever  trod 
our  soil/' 

But  King  Philip  rules  us  as  our  legitimate  sovereign. " 
Alas!  and  it  is  for  that  very  reason  we  submit  to  his  re- 
gent, the  prince,  who  governs  in  his  name.     The  perjured 
ruffian  needs  a  protector.     Ask  any  questions  you  please;  I 
am  ready  to  answer." 

Nicolas,  however,  did  not  respond  to  this  challenge,  and 
walked  by  his  escort  in  silence  till  they  reached  the  Achter- 
gracht.  There  he  stopped  short,  eagerly  seized  the  soldier's 
arm,  and  said,  in  broken  sentences  and  in  a  low  voice: 

"  My  heart  is  bursting — I  must  speak  to  some  one!  I  want 
to  be  a  Hollander;  I  hate  the  Spaniards.  I  learned  to  know 
them  at  Leyderdorp  and  at  the  Hague.  They  paid  no  heed  to 
me,  as  I  was  only  a  lad;  and  they  did  not  know  I  understood 
their  language.  So  my  eyes  were  opened!  Whenever  they 
speak  of  us  it  is  with  scorn  and  contempt.  I  know  everything 
that  Alva  and  Yargas  did  here;  and  I  heard  from  the  very  lijjs 
of  the  Spaniards  themselves  that  they  long  to  annihilate  and 
exterminate  us.  If  I  only  could  do  as  I  wish — and  if  it  were 
not  for  my  father  I  know  what  I  would  do!  But  my  brain  is 
in  a  whirl,  and  the  burgomaster's  speech  put  me  almost  beside 
myself.  Tell  him,  Jonker,  I  beg  you  tell  him,  that  I  hate  the 
Spaniards,  and  that  it  is  my  pride  to  be  a  Dutchman." 

They  had  meanwhile  gone  on  their  way  again,  and  as  they 
got  nearer  and  nearer  to  the  burgomaster's  house,  the  young 
officer,  who  had  listened  with  pleased  surprise  to  the  lad's  pro- 
fession, said  to  him: 

"  You  are  carved  out  of  sound  timber,  Jonker,  and  are 
walking  in  the  right  way.  Only  bear  Master  Peter's  words  in 
mind,  and  reflect  on  what  history  teaches  you.  Whose  names 
are  those  that  are  written  on  the  most  splendid  pages  of  the 
great  book  of  the  fate  of  nations — the  tyrants  and  those  who 
have  obeyed  them  slavishly  with  eye-service,  or  the  men  who 
have  lived  and  died  for  freedom?  Hold  up  your  head !  This 
struggle  will  probably  last  longer  than  either  of  us,  and  yoy 
have  ample  time  before  you  for  fighting  on  the  right  side.  A 
noble  should  serve  his  liege,  but  he  ought  never  to  become  the 
slave  of  a  monarch — least  of  all  of  a  stranger  and  the  enemy 
of  his  nation.  Here  we  are!  In  an  hour  I  will  come  and 
escort  you  back;  give  me  your  hand,  and  for  the  future  I 


184  Tin:   BUROOttASVER's  "wife. 

should   like  to  call  you  by  your  Christian  name,  my  brave 
Nico!" 

"  Do  si)!"'  cried  the  lad;  "and  you  will  not  scud  anyone  to 
escort  me,  will  you?     I  want  to  talk  further  with  you." 

The  Jonker  was  received  at  the  house  of  the  Van  der  AWrfl's 
by  Barbara.  Henri ka  could  not  see  him  at  that  instant,  for 
Father  Damianus  was  with  her,  so  he  had  to  wait  in  the  din- 
ing-room till  the  priest  came  down.  Nicolas  knew  him  very 
well,  and  in  former  years  had  confessed  to  him  from  time  to 
time.  After  he  had  greeted  the  worthy  man,  and  answered 
his  inquiry  as  to  why  he  was  there,  he  went  on  at  once,  and 
hurriedly: 

"  Father,  forgive  me — but  there  is  something  on  my  mind! 
You  are  a  saintly  man,  and  you  must  know.  Is  it  a  sin  for  a 
Hollander  to  rebel  against  the  Spaniards — is  it  wrong  when  a 
Dutchman  resolves  to  be  and  to  remain  what  God  himself  has 
made  him?     I  can  not  believe  it." 

"  Neither  can  I  believe  it,"  replied  Damianus,  in  his  sinrple 
fashion.  "  He  who  clings  to  our  Holy  Church — he  wTho  loves 
his  neighbor,  and  tries  to  do  right,  may  in  all  confidence  be  a 
true-hearted  Dutchman,  and  pray  and  fight  for  his  country's 
freedom." 

"Oh!"  gasped  Nicolas,  with  a  flashing  glance. 

"  For,  after  all,"  Damianus  went  on  more  eagerly,  "  we 
were  good  Catholics  here,  and  lived  piously  and  in  the  fear  of 
God  before  a  Spaniard  ever  came  into  the  land.  And  why 
should  it  not  be  so  again?  The  Almighty  divided  the  nations 
because  He  thought  good  that  each  nation  should  live  its  own 
life,  and  grow  in  knowledge  to  its  own  salvation  and  to  His 
glory,  and  not  that  the  stronger  should  have  the  right  to  torture 
and  oppress  the  weaker.  Now,  just  suppose  that  my  lord  your 
father  should  go  out  wTalking,  and  a  Spanish  grandee  should 
leap  upon  his  shoulders  and  Hog  him  and  spur  him  as  though 
he  were  his  riding-horse.  It  would  be  an  evil  day  for  the 
Spaniard!  Then  in  the  place  of  Baron  Matenesse  say  Holland, 
ami  in  that  of  the  grandee  say  powerful  Spain,  and  you  will 
see  what  I  think  of  the  matter.  Nothing  is  left  to  us  but  to 
throw  off  the  oppressor.  The  Holy  Church  will  not  suffer  by 
that:  God  has  established  it,  and  it  will  stand  firm  whether 
King  Philip  rules  here  or  another.  Now  you  know  my  views; 
am  I  right  or  am  I  wrong  in  thinking  you  are  tired  of  the 
name  of  (Hipper,  my  brave  Jonker?" 

"  You  are  right,  Father  Damianus.  a  thousand  times  right. 
It  is  not  a  sin  to  hope  to  see  Holland  free." 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  185 


"  And  who  told  you  that  it  was?" 
"  Canon  Bermont  and  our  chaplain." 

"  Then  oh  this,  which  is  but  a  temporal  question,  our  opin- 
ions differ.     Render  unto  God  the  things  that  are  God's,  and 

hold  your  own  in  the  place  in  which  God  has  set  you.  When 
your  beard  is  grown,  if  you  feel  bound  to  fight  for  the  liberties 
of  Holland,  do  so  in  all  confidence.  For  such  a  sin  I,  for  one, 
will  readily  grant  you  absolution." 

Henrika  was  rejoiced  to  see  the  bright  and  happy-looking 
lad  once  more.  Nicolas  had  to  tell  her  all  his  news  of  ber 
father  and  his,  and  why  he  had  come  to  Leyden.  When  she 
heard  that  he  was  about  to  return  within  an  hour,  a  good  idea 
struck  her  with  reference  to  Belotti's  errand,  which  she  was 
just  then  chiefly  concerned  with.  She  told  Nicolas  of  the  pro- 
ject she  had  in  view,  and  begged  him  to  conduct  the  steward 
through  the  Spanish  lines  and  as  far  as  the  Hague;  and  Wlb- 
isma  was  not  merely  willing  to  do  it,  but  promised  her  that 
when  the  old  man  returned  he  would  find  means  to  let  her 
know. 

At  the  end  of  an  hour  the  boy  bade  her  farewell,  and  as  he 
was  once  more  crossing  the  Achtergracht  with  Van  Warmond, 
he  gayly  asked  him: 

And  how  can  I  get  to  join  the  Gueux?" 

"  You?"  said  the  baron,  astonished. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  lad,  eagerly.  "I  shall  soon  be  eighteen 
years  old,  and  then — wait,  only  wait — you  shall  hear  of  me 
again. " 

"  Well  said,  Nicolas,  and  well  done!"  said  his  companion. 
"  Let  us  be  Dutch  nobles  and  noble  Dutchmen  forever!" 

Three  hours  later  the  young  Baron  Matenesse  van  Wibisma 
rode  into  the  Hague,  followed  by  Belotti,  who  had  known  him 
and  loved  him  from  a  child.  He  brought  nothing  for  his 
father  but  a  neatly  folded  and  carefully  sealed  letter  which 
Janus  Dousa  had  given  him,  charging  him  with  a  meaning 
smile  to  deliver  it  from  the  municipality  of  Leyden  to  the 
"  Maestre  del  Campo  Valdez,"  and  which  contained  nothing 
but  a  line  from  Dionysius  Cato,  elaborately  written  in  an  ele- 
gant hand  on  a  large  sheet  of  paper: 

"  Fistula  dulce  canit  volucrcm  dum  decipit  ancops." 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

The  first  week  of  June  had  passed  and  half  the  second;  the 
beautiful  sunny  days  were   now   over,  and   many  customers 


186  tttt:  burgomaster's  wtfe. 

crowded  into  the  Angulusof  the  Exchange  Inn  as  evening  fell; 
it  was  mug  in  there,  though  the  sea-wind  might  howl  and  the 
tain  fall  iii  torrents,  splashing  on  the  pavement  outside.  The 
Spanish  besiegers  encircled  the  town  like  a  wall  of  iron.  Each 
man  IVlt  himself  ;i  fellow-prisoner  with  the  rest,  and  clung 
more  closely  to  those  whose  situations  and  sentiments  were  I  lie 
same  as  his  own.  Business  and  traffic  were  at  a  standstill; 
inactivity  and  anxiety  weighed  like  lead  on  the  spirits  of  the. 
inhabitants,  and  those  who  wanted  to  hurry  on  the  weary  and 
lagging  hours  to  a  swifter  flight,  or  refresh  their  oppressed 
souls,  resorted  to  the  taverns,  where  they  could  give  expression 
to  their  own  hopes  and  fears,  and  hear  what  others  felt  and 
thought  of  their  common  sutTerings. 

Every  table  in  the  Angulus  was  occupied,  and  any  one  who 
wanted  to  be  heard  by  a  neighbor  sitting  even  at  a  short  dis- 
tance had  to  raise  his  voice  considerably,  for  a  separate  discus- 
sion was  being  carried  on  at  each  table;  while  here,  there,  and 
everywhere,  the  bustling  serving  -  wench  was  shouted  for; 
glasses  were  clinking,  and  the  metal  lids  clinked  on  the  tops 
of  the  stout  earthenware  jugs. 

But  loudest  of  all  was  a  discussion  that  was  being  carried  on 
at  a  round  table  at  the  further  end  of  the  long  narrow  room. 
Six  officers  were  seated  at  it,  and  among  them  Georg  von 
Dornburg.  Captain  van  der  Laen,  his  superior  officer,  whose 
career  had  been  really  that  of  a  hero,  was  entertaining  the 
company  by  relating  in  a  loud,  deep  voice  many  extraordinary 
and  amusing  stories  of  his  adventures  by  land  and  sea,  Colonel 
Mulder  constantly  interrupting  him  and  capping  each  hardly 
credible  anecdote  with  a  similar  but  absolutely  iinpossible  story, 
and  grinning  as  he  did  so.  Van  Duivenvoorcle  interfered  as 
peacemaker  when  the  captain — who  was  conscious  of  adhering 
pretty  closely  to  facts — indignantly  repelled  the  older  officer's 
jesting  insinuations.  Lieutenant  Cromwell,  a  grave  man  with 
a  broad  round  head  and  straight  lank  hair,  who  had  come  to 
Holland  to  fight  for  the  reformed  faith,  took  little  part  in  the 
talk,  speaking  only  a  few  words  of  very  broken  Dutch.  Georg 
leaned  back  in  his  chair  with  his  legs  stretched  out,  and  sat 
silent,  staring  into  the  air. 

Master  Aquanus,  the  host,  went  from  one  table  to  another, 
and  when  presently  he  came  to  that  at  which  the  officers  were 
sitting,  he  stood  still  in  front  of  the  young  Thuringian  and 
said : 

"Well,  Jonker,  and  whither  are  your  thought-  flown?  You 
are  nnt   yourself  at  all  these  last  i'ew  days.      What  possesses 

you?" 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE.  187 

Georg  started  upright,  stretched  himself  like  a  man  waking 
from  sleep,  and  answered,  good-humoredly : 

"  In  idleness  one  soon  falls  into  dreamy  ways." 

"  His  cage  is  too  small  for  him/'  interrupted  Van  der  Laen. 
"  If  this  goes  on  much  longer  we  shall  all  have  the  staggers, 
like  sheep. " 

"  Or  get  as  stiff  as  that  brass  idol  on  the  mantel-shelf," 
added  the  colonel. 

"  We  heard  the  same  complaints  in  the  first  siege,"  said  the 
host,  "  but  the  Herr  van  Noyelles  drank  down  his  discontent, 
and  emptied  many  a  cask  of  my  best  liquor. " 

"  Tell  these  gentlemen  how  he  paid  you,"  cried  Mulder. 

"  There  hangs  the  note,  framed  and  glazed,"  laughed 
Aq nanus.  "Instead  of  sending  me  money  he  wrote  those 
lines : 

"  '  My  worthy  friend,  I  owe  you  many  a  kindly  turn, 
But  if  from  me  you  hope  for  hard  coin  in  return, 
Tis  vain — so  ere  I  leave  this  town  that  I  have  stayed  in, 
Instead  of  filthy  wage 
Take  this  fair  written  page — 
Paper  is  legal  tender  now  in  Leyden.'  " 

"  Capital!"  cried  the  Jonker  van  Warmond.  "  And  it  was 
you  who  cut  the  die  for  the  paper  coinage!" 

"  To  be  sure!  The  Herr  von  Noyelles's  inaction  cost  me  a 
good  deal.     Now  you  have  twice  tried  to  make  a  move." 

"Silence,  silence!  For  Heaven's  sake,  say  nothing  of  our 
first  sortie,"  cried  the  captain.  "  It  was  a  well-planned  at- 
tempt, which  failed  disgracefully  because  its  leader  must  lay 
himself  down  to  sleep  like  a  mole!  Was  there  ever  such  a  case 
heard  of  before?" 

"  13ut  the  second  came  to  a  better  issue,"  said  Aquanus. 
"  Three  hundred  hams,  a  hundred  tuns  of  beer,  butter,  and 
ammunition,  and  the  basest  of  spies  into  the  bargain — a  booty 
worth  taking,  at  any  rate." 

"  And  yet  that  was  a  failure  too!"  cried  Van  der  Laen. 
"  Why,  we  might  have  cut  away  and  towed  in  all  the  provision 
ships  on  the  Leyden  Lake!  And  the  Kaak — to  think  of  that 
island  fort  being  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy!" 

"  But  our  men  fought  bravely,"  said  the  captain. 

"  Ay,  there  are  some  of  the  devil's  own  among  them,"  said 
Van  der  Laen,  laughing.  "  One  of  them  ran  a  Spaniard 
through,  and  m  the  midst  of  the  fighting  stopped  to  draw  off 
his  red  hose  and  pull  them  on  his  own  legs." 

"  I  know  the  man,"  said  the  host;  "  his  name  is  Van  Keu- 
len,  there  he  is,  sitting  down  near  the  beer-tap,  and  telling  aK 


1S8  TTTE    BTTRGOMASTEIt'S    WTFE. 

Bortfl  of  queer  random  stories  to  the  other  folks.  Tie  is  a  per- 
fect <laiv-ili\  il  mid  with  a  fare  like  a  satyr.  But  we  have  our 
joys  too!  Think  of  the  defeat  of  Chevraux  and  the  Gueux's 
victory  at  VTissingen,  on  the  Scheldt." 

'  To  our  brave  Admiral  Boisot  and  the  valiant  army  of  the 
Gueux!"  cried  Van  der  Laen,  clinking  his  glass  against  the 
colonel's.  Mulder  in  his  turn  raised  his  glass  to  the  young 
Karon,  who,  however,  was  once  more  lost  in  reverie  and  took 
no  notice  of  the  action. 

k"  Well,  Jonker  von  Dornburg,"  exclaimed  the  colonel, 
irritably,  "  it  takes  you  a  long  time  to  respond  to  a  pledge." 
Georg  started. 

'A  pledge!"  he  said,  hastily;  "to  be  sure.  I  drink  to 
you,  colonel."  And  as  he  spoke  he  took  irp  his  goblet, 
emptied  it  at  a  draught,  rang  it  with  his  nail,  and  set  it  down 
again  on  the  table. 

'  Well  done!"  cried  the  old  officer,  and  Aquanus  remarked: 

"  He  learned  that  at  college;  study  makes  a  man  thirsty;" 
and  he  cast  a  kindly  and  anxious  glance  at  the  young  German. 
Then  be  looked  toward  the  door,  which  opened  to  admit  the 
musician.     The  host  went  forward,  to  meet  him. 

"  I  do  not  like  the  looks  of  the  German  Jonker,"  he  whis- 
pered to  the  new-comer.  "  Our  singing  lark  has  become  a 
moping  owl.     What  is  the  matter  with  him?" 

"He  is  home-sick;  he  gets  no  news  from  his  people;  and 
then  he  thinks  of  this  trap  into  which  war  has  flung  him  in  his 
pursuit  of  fame  and  glory.     He  will  soon  be  himself  again. " 

'  I  hope  so,"  replied  Van  Aken;  "  so  green  a  sapling  must 
surely  soon  spring  straight  again  when  it  has  been  bent  to  the 
ground;  you  must  help  him  up;  he  is  a  splendid  young  fel- 
low." 

At  this  moment  a  customer  called  the  host,  and  the  musi- 
cian sat  down  with  the  officers  and  began  a  conversation  with 
Georg  in  a  low  tone  that  was  completely  drowned  in  the  loud 
confusion  of  other  voices  and  sounds. 

Wilhelm  had  just  come  from  the  Van  der  Wcrffs,  where  he 
had  learned  that  the  next  day  but  one,  the  14th  of  June,  was 
the  burgomaster's  birthday.  Adrian  had  told  Henrika,  who 
had  repeated  it  to  him.  The  worthy  man  was  to  be  surprised 
in  the  early  morning  with  some  music  and  singing. 

'  Capital!"  Georg  interrupted  bis  friend;  "  she  will  do  the 
tbing  to  perfection. 

"  Not  she  alone;  the  burgomaster's  wife  will  help  too.  At 
first  she  steadily  refused;  but  when  1  proposed  a  pretty  madri- 
g'il,  she  gave  in,  and  is  to  take  the  first  treble." 


THE    BURGOMASTER  S   WIFE.  189 

"  The  first  treble?"  said  the  Jonker,  eagerly.  "  I  am  at 
your  service  too,  of  course;  let  us  go — have  you  the  copy  at 
your  house?" 

No,  Jonker,  I  have  just  left  it  with  the  ladies — but  early 


. . 


)} 


to-morrow  morning. 

"To-morrow  morning  you  practice!  That  tankard  is  for 
me,  pretty  Dortchen!  To  your  good  health,  Colonel  Mulder! 
Captain  Duivenvoorde,  here  is  to  your  new  company  of  horse, 
and  may  I  ride  many  a  jolly  mile  by  your  side!" 

Thp  German's  eyes  had  regained  their  bright  and  lively 
sjaarkle,  and  Van  der  Laen  went  on  to  say: 

"  The  '  Sea  Gueux  '  will  utterly  destroy  the  Spanish  fleet," 
he  shouted,  vehemently.  "  To  the  sea,  gentlemen,  to  the  sea. 
Cast  your  cause  upon  the  waters!  that  is  the  best  way.  Shout 
down  the  storm,  grapple,  and  board;  fight  man  to  man  and 
hand  to  hand  on  the  enemy's  deck!  Strike  and  conquer  or  go 
to  the  bottom  with  the  foe!" 

"Here  is  to  your  good  luck,  Jonker!"  cried  the  colonel. 
"  Storm  and  thunder!  but  we  can  find  a  place  for  a  man  like 
you. " 

"  Now  you  are  yourself  again,"  said  Wilhelm,  turning  to 
his  friend.  "  Here  is  to  the  health  of  those  you  love  at 
home." 

"Two  glasses  for  once,"  exclaimed  Georg.  "To  those  I 
love  at  home,  to  all  love's  joys  and  sorrows,  to  the  women  we 
love,  each  and  all!  War  is  a  pastime,  and  love  is  life!  Let 
our  wounds  bleed,  and  our  hearts  break  into  a  thousand  pieces. 
Laurels  grow  on  the  battle-field,  and  love  weaves  wreaths  of 
roses — roses  with  thorns,  to  be  sure,  but  still  lovely  roses! 
Away  with  you— no  one  shall  drink  out  of  you  again!"  And 
with  a  heightened  color,  he  flung  the  glass  into  a  corner  of  the 
room,  where  it  was  dashed  into  fragments.  His  companions 
shouted  in  chorus,  but  Lieutenant  Cromwell  rose  and  quietly 
quitted  the  room,  while  Aquanus  even  shook  his  shrewd  head 
doubtfully. 

It  seemed  as  if  fire  had  been  poured  into  the  young  man's 
spirit  and  his  soul  had  taken  wings.  His  long  curls  were 
tossed  in  disorder  round  his  handsome  head,  as  he  leaned  back 
in  his  chair,  with  his  gorget  unlaced,  and  flung  keen  jests  and 
gay  fancies  into  the  midst  of  his  comrades'  sober  talk.  Wil- 
helm heard  him,  now  with  astonishment,  and  then  again  with 
anxiety.  Day  had  long  since  dawned  when  the  musician  and 
his  friend  left  the  tavern;  Colonel  Mulder  looked  after  him, 
and  exclaimed  to  the  others,  who  still  remained: 

"  That  madcap  wag  has  the  very  devil  in  him." 


190  THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE. 

The  madrigal  in  three  parts  was  practiced  Unit  morning  at 
the  burgomaster's  bouse,  while  Van  der  WerfE  himself  was  sit- 
ting as  president  <>f  the  Council.  Georg  stood  between  Maria 
and  Benrika.     So  long  as  their  conductor  had  to  correct  their 

mistakes  and  suggest  repetitions,  the  little  chorus  were  in  the 
best  of  spirits,  and  more  than  once  Barbara,  in  the  next  room, 
heard  them  laughing  merrily;  but  when  all  had  mastered  their 
parts,  and  the  madrigal  was  to  be  performed  without  a  mis- 
take, the  two  women  grew  graver.  Marie  never  took  her  ey<  s 
off  the  page,  and  her  voice  had  rarely  sounded  so  emotional 
and  so  sweetly  pure.  Georg  accommodated  his  singing  to 
hers,  and  whenever  he  looked  up  from  the  notes  his  eyes  were 
fixed  on  her  face.  Henri ka  tried  to  meet  his  glance,  but 
always  in  vain;  she  wanted  to  divert  his  attention  from  the 
young  wife,  and  at  the  same  time  it  nettled  her  that  she  should 
remain  unnoticed.  She  longed  and  strove  to  outdo  Maria, 
and  all  the  passionate  vehemence  of  her  nature  rang  in  her 
voice.  Her  fire  and  spirit  carried  away  the  others;  Maria's 
treble  sounded  brightly  and  joyously  above  the  full  tones  of 
the  German,  while  Henrika's  deep  notes  flowed  on,  strong  and 
jubilant.  The  musician,  delighted  and  flattered,  beat  time, 
and  as  he  listened  to  the  rich  sweetness  of  Henrika's  voice, 
cradled  his  fancy  in  tender  memories  of  her  sister. 

When  the  serenade  was  finished,  he  cried  out :  ' '  Once  more !" 
The  contest  between  the  two  young  women  began  again,  and 
this  time  the  Jonker's  eye  met  Maria's;  she  hastily  laid  down 
her  music,  and  stejjping  out  of  the  little  group,  she  said: 

'  We  know  the  madrigal.    To-morrow  morning  early,  Mas- 
ter Wilhelm;  my  time  is  precious." 

'  What  a  pity!"  said  the  organist;  "  it  was  going  so  splen- 
didly, and  there  were  only  a  few  bars  more  to  the  end." 

But  Maria  was  already  leaving  the  room,  and  only  replied: 
"  Till  to-morrow  morning.  " 

The  musician  thanked  Hcnrika  in  warm  terms  for  her  s])len- 
did  singing,  and  Georg  politely  did  the  same.  When  they  were 
gone,  Qenrika  began  to  pace  the  room  with  a  hasty  step,  strik- 
ing one  little  fist  with  passionate  defiance  against  her  other 
hand. 

On  the  morning  of  the  master's  birthday  the  singers  were 
up  betimes;  but  Peter  himself  had  risen  with  the  sun,  for  he 
had  to  look  through  certain  proposals  and  measures  which  had 
to  be  made  ready  before  the  sitting  of  the  Council. 

Nothing  was  further  from  his  mind  than  the  recollection  of 
his  birthday,  and  when  the  little  chorus  struck  up  in  the  din- 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE.  191 

ing-room,  he  thumped  at  the  door  with  his  hand  and  called 

out: 

"  We  are  very  busy  here;  you  must  find  some  other  place 
for  your  sing-song. "  The  performance  of  the  madrigal  ceased, 
and  Barbara  observed: 

"A  man  who  is  picking  apples  docs  not  trouble  himself 
about  a  fishing-net.  It  does  not  strike  him  that  it  is  his  birth- 
day.    Let  the  children  go  in  to  him  first." 

Maria  led  Adrian  and  Elizabeth  into  her  husband's  study. 
Each  held  a  nosegay,  and  Maria  had  dressed  the  little  girl  so 
prettily  that  in  her  white  frock  she  really  looked  like  a  sweet 
Elflmg.  Now,  at  last,  Peter  understood  what  the  singing  had 
meant.  He  embraced  the  trio  who  had  come  to  congratulate 
him,  and  when  the  madrigal  was  started  once  more  he  placed 
himself  opposite  to  listen.  The  performance,  to  be  sure,  was 
not  half  so  good  as  the  rehearsal  had  been,  for  Maria  sung  too 
softly,  and  not  so  clearly  as  before,  and  in  spite  of  Wilhelm's 
energetic  time-beating  they  could  not  recover  the  fire  and 
swing  that  had  carried  it  through  the  day  before. 

"Capital!  excellent!''  said  Peter,  when  the  voices  ceased; 
"  well  conceived  and  well  executed — a  delightful  birthday  sur- 
prise." He  then  shook  each  performer  by  the  hand,  with  a 
few  kind  words,  and  as  he  took  the  Jonker's,  he  said:  "You 
have  dropped  upon  us  from  heaven  in  these  cruel  times.  A 
home  even  among  strangers  is  better  than  none,  and  that  you 
have  here,  and  welcome." 

Georg  was  looking  at  the  floor,  but  at  the  burgomaster's 
last  words  he  raised  his  eyes  to  the  speaker's.  How  honestly, 
how  kindly  and  frankly  they  gazed  into  his  own!  He  was 
overcome  by  a  strange  emotion,  and  without  reflecting,  with- 
out knowing  what  he  did,  he  laid  his  hand  on  Peter's  arm 
and  hid  his  face  on  his  shoulder. 

Van  der  Werff  passed  his  hand  over  the  young  man's  waving 
hair,  and  said,  with  a  kind  smile: 

"  Like  Leonhard,  wife;  just  what  our  Leonhard  was!  We 
will  all  meet  again  at  a  dinner  to-day;  you  too,  Van  Hout, 
not  forgetting  your  good  wife." 

At  dinner-time  Maria  distributed  the  party  so  that  she  need 
not  look  at  Georg;  he  was  placed  next  to  Dame  van  Hout  and 
opposite  to  Henrika  and  the  musician.  At  first  he  was  silent 
and  embarrassed,  but  Henrika  gave  him  no  peace,  and  when 
once  he  had  been  led  into  answering  her  questions  he  was  soon 
carried  away  by  her  vehement  vivacity,  and  gave  full  play  to 
his  merry  wit.  Nor  was  she  behindhand  in  the  sport;  her  eyes 
flashed,  and  in  her  growing  eagerness  to  measure  her  wit  with 


192  THE   burgomaster's  wife. 

his,  she  strove  to  cap  every  jest  and  every  repartee.  She 
drank  no  wine,  but  her  own  How  of  words  seemed  to  intoxicate 
her,  and  she  bo  entirely  absorbed  the  baron's  attention  that  he 
had  no  time  to  address  a  word  to  any  one  else.  Indeed,,  when 
he  once  did  so,  she  abruptly  interrupted  him  and  compelled 
him  to  turn  to  her  again.  This  insistence  annoyed  him;  and 
while  it  vexed  him  it  decided  his  defiant  spirit,  and  he  pro- 
voked EEenrika  to  the  wildest  assertions,  which  he  met  by 
others  not  less  extravagant. 

Maria  meanwhile  listened  to  the  young  girl  in  blank  aston- 
ishment, and  there  was  something  that  displeased  her  in  the 
baron's  demeanor  to  the  young  lady.  Peter  paid  little  heed  to 
her,  for  he  was  talking  with  Van  I  lout  of  certain  letters  re- 
ceived from  Glippers,  counseling  the  town  to  surrender,  of 
which  three  had  already  reached  them;  and  they  were  also  dis- 
cussing the  wavering  opinions  of  sonic  of  the  members  of  the 
Council  and  the  execution  of  a  spy  who  had  been  taken. 

Wilhelm,  whose  neighbor  had  hardly  vouchsafed  him  a  word, 
was  now  listening  to  the  conversation  of  the  older  men,  and 
remarked  that  he  himself  had  known  the  traitor;  he  was  the 
keeper  of  a  tavern  where  he  once  had  met  the  Baron  Matenesse 
van  Wibisma. 

"  Xow  the  secret  is  out!"  exclaimed  the  town  clerk.  "  In 
Quatgelat's  pocket  I  found  a  scrap  of  paper,  and  the  writing 
on  it  was  damnably  like  the  baron's.  Quatgelat  was  to  get  in- 
formation as  to  the  amount  of  provisions  left  in  Leyden." 

"They  are  a  pair!"  cried  the  burgomaster.  "But,  alas! 
he  might  have  carried  only  too  gratifying  a  report  to  Valdez. 
Our  own  inquiries  have  not  proved  comforting;  to  be  sure,  the 
returns  are  not  yet  precise  and  complete. " 

"  That  we  might  leave  to  the  women  to  do  within  the  next 
few  days." 

"To  women?"  cried  Peter,  aghast. 

"  Yes,  to  us,"  said  the  town  clerk's  wife.  "  Why  should 
we  sit  idle  when  we  might  prove  ourselves  of  use?" 

"  Allow  us  to  do  something,"  exclaimed  Maria.  "  We  long 
as  earnestly  as  you  to  do  something  in  the  service  of  the  great 
cause." 

"  And  believe  me,"  added  Dame  van  Hout,  "  we  shall  be 
more  readily  admitted  to  inspect  the  contents  of  lofts  and  cel- 
lars than  ushers  and  men  at  arms,  of  whom  the  citizens'  wives 
would  be  afraid." 

"Women  in  the  service  of 'the  town!"  said  Peter,  doubt- 
fully. "  To  be  frank  with  you — but  the  proposal  shall  be  duly 
considered — Mistress  Ilenrika  is  in  high  spirits  to-day." 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  193 

Maria  glanced  with  some  displeasure  at  Henrika,  who  was 
leaning  far  across  the  table.  She  was  showing  the  Jonker  a 
ring,  and  said,  laughing: 

"  Do  you  not  know  what  the  emblem  means?  A  serpent 
with  its  fangs  set  in  its  own  tail." 

"  Yes,"  said  Georg,  "  it  is  the  symbol  of  self-torment." 

"  (Jood,  good!  But  it  has  another  meaning,  and  you  should 
mark  it  well,  Sir  Knight.  Do  you  know  what  is  meant  by 
eternity  and  eternal  constancy?" 

"  No,  mistress.  In  Jena  we  are  not  taught  to  think  of  such 
deep  matters." 

"  Of  course  not.  Your  teachers  are  men.  Men  and  con- 
stancy!— eternal  fidelity!" 

"  And  was  Delilah,  who  betrayed  Samson  to  the  Philistines, 
a  man  or  a  woman?"  asked  Van  Hout. 

"  She  was  a  woman- — the  exception  that  j:>roves  the  rule.  Is 
it  not  so,  Maria?"  But  the  burgomaster's  wife  did  not  an- 
swer; she  only  nodded  in  silence,  then  she  pushed  her  chair 
impatiently  from  the  table,  and  the  meal  was  at  an  end. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Dayr  and  weeks  had  slipped  away;  a  hot  August  had  fol- 
lowed July,  and  now  August  was  near  its  close.  The  Spaniards 
still  invested  Leyden,  and  the  town  was  now  a  prison  indeed. 
The  soldiers  and  armed  citizens  did  their  duty  dully  and 
wearily;  at  the  town  hall  there  was  plenty  to  be  done,  no  doubt, 
but  the  labors  of  the  authorities  were  all  sad  and  painful,  for 
no  message  reached  them  from  the  prince  or  the  states  general 
to  encourage  their  hopes,  and  all  they  found  to  discuss  and  de- 
cide referred  to  the  threatened  famine  and  that  hideous  at- 
tendant of  war,  the  pestilence,  which  had  invaded  Leyden  hand 
in  hand  with  starvation.  Added  to  this,  the  number  of  the 
malcontents  increased  from  week  to  week.  The  adherents  of 
the  old  order  of  things  uplifted  their  voices  louder  and  louder, 
and  many  a  friend  of  freedom,  seeing  those  dear  to  him  sicken 
and  perish,  joined  the  Spanish  party  and  clamored  for  (he  sur- 
render of  the  city.  The  children  still  went  to  school  as  they 
had  always  done,  and  still  met  in  their  play-grounds,  but  the 
merry  audacity  of  former  days  only  now  and  then  flickered  into 
life;  and  what  had  become  of  the  boys'  rosy  cheeks  and  the 
girls'  fair  round  arms?  The  poor  tightened  their  belts,  and 
the  scrap  of  bread  which  was  doled  out  to  each  by  the  town 
authorities  no  longer  sufficed  to  satisfy  hunger  or  keep  body 
and  soul  together. 


194  THE    BURGOMASTER'S    WIFE. 

Jonker  Georg  had  now  lung  been  an  inmate  of  the  Van  tier 
WernV  house.  On  the  morning  of  the  twenty-ninth  of  August 
he  was  returning  home  from  a  walk;  he  carried  a  cross-bow  in 

his  hand  and  a  game-bag  slung  across  his  shoulder;  he  did  not 
as  usual  go  upstairs,  hut  went  into  the  kitchen  to  Dame  Bar- 
bara. The  widow  welcomed  him  with  a  friendly  nod;  her  gray 
eves  twinkled  as  brightly  as  ever,  but  her  jolly  round  i'aee  was 
narrower,  and  a  melancholy  line  had  set  itself  at  the  corners 
of  her  pinched  lips. 

"Well,  what  have  you  brought  us  to-day?"  she  asked  the 
young  man.     Georg  laughed  as  he  emptied  his  hag. 

"  A  fat  woodcock,  and  besides  that   four  larks;  you  know." 

"  Poor  little  sparrows.  But  what  sort  of  creature  is  this — ■ 
no  head,  no  feet,  and  carefully  plucked!  Jonker,  Jonker,  this 
is  very  suspicious. ' ' 

"  It  will  all  go  into  the  jiot;  never  mind  what  it  is  called!" 

"  But  yet — who  knows  what  it  may  have  fattened  on;  and 
the  Lord  did  not  create  every  creature  fit  for  man's  food." 

"  I  told  you  just  now;  it  is  a  short-billed  woodcock,  a  genu- 
ine corvus." 

"  Corvus?  Oh!  that  is  all  right.  I  was  afraid  of  the  thing 
— these  feathers  here  under  the  wing — merciful  God!  Is  it 
not  a  raven?" 

"  It  is  a  corvus,  as  I  have  told  you.  Lay  the  bird  in  vinegar 
and  stew  it  with  a  little  spice,  and  it  will  taste  for  all  the  world 
like  an  ordinary  woodcock.  Wild  duck  are  not  to  be  got  every 
day  as  they  were  lately,  and  the  small  birds  are  as  scarce  as 
roses  at  Christmas.  Every  boy  is  on  the  watch  with  his  bow 
and  arrows,  and  in  every  court-yard  they  are  being  caught  with 
sieves  and  limed  twigs.  They  are  fast  being  exterminated, 
but  here  and  there  one  has  escaped.     How  is  the  Elfling?" 

"Do  not  call  her  so,"  cried  the  widow.  "Do,  I  entreat 
you,  give  her  her  Christian  name.  She  is  as  white  as  this  cloth, 
and  since  yesterday  she  has  refused  to  take  the  milk  we  have 
got  her  every  day  at  an  immense  cost.  God  knows  what  will 
come  of  it.  Look  at  that  cabbage-stalk;  that  was  half  a 
stiver!  And  those  wretched  bones — I  should  have  thought 
them  too  bad  to  throw  to  a  dog  once,  and  now  the  whole  house 
must  make  shift  to  dine  off  them.  For  supper  I  can  stew 
some  shreds  of  ham  with  wine,  and  make  some  porridge.  And 
that  for  a  giant  like  Peter!  where  he  gets  his  strength  from, 
God  alone  knows.  But  indeed  he  looks  but  the  shadow  of 
himself.  Maria  needs  no  more  than  a  bird;  but  Adrian,  poor 
boy,  often  leaves  the  table  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  and  yet  he 
often  breaks  a  piece  of  bread  of!  his  thin  slice  for  Elizabeth, 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S    WIFE.  195 

that  I  know.  It  is  pitiable  to  see.  And  yet  we  can  only  say: 
Cut  your  coat  according  to  your  cloth — necessity  knows  no 
law,  and  save  if  you  would  have.  The  day  before  yesterday 
we  again  sent  in  an  account  of  what  we  have  left,  as  others 
did,  and  to-morrow  we  must  give  in  to  the  common  stock 
everything  that  is  over  and  above  what  we  require  for  a  fort- 
night; and  Peter  will  not  let  us  keep  back  even  a  bag  of  meal; 
and  after  that  what  will  happen,  what  will  become  of  us? — 
merciful  Heaven \" 

The  widow  burst  out  sobbing  as  she  spoke,  and  went  on  in  a 
voice  choked  by  tears.  "  How  do  you  keep  up  your  strength? 
This  miserable  scrap  of  meat  at  your  age  is  like  a  drop  of 
water  on  a  hot  stone. " 

'  Master  van  Aken  gives  me  what  he  can  spare  out  of  his 
rations  in  addition  to  my  own.  I  shall  do  very  well — but  what 
I  saw  to-day  down  at  the  tailor's  who  is  mending  some  clothes 
for  me — " 

"  Yes?" 

"  Two  of  his  children  have  died  of  hunger." 

"And  at  the  weaver's,"  added  Barbara,  crying.  "Such 
decent  folks  as  they  are,  too.  The  young  wife  lay  in  only  four 
days  ago,  and  this  morning  mother  and  child  are  both  dead  of 
weakness— gone  out  like  a  candle  that  has  burned  down  to  the 
end.  At  Peterssohn's,  the  cloth-maker,  the  father  and  all  five 
children  are  dead  of  the  pestilence.     If  that  is  not  pitiable — " 

['  There — tell  me  no  more,"  said  Georg,  with  a  shudder. 
"  I. must  go  now  to  exercise  the  men  in  the  court-yard." 

:'And  that! — what  good  does  that  do?  The  Spaniards  do 
not  attack  us;  they  leave  that  to  the  skeleton  fiends.  Your 
drill  makes  you  hungry,  and  the  miserable  starvelings  you  have 
enlisted  can  hardly  move  their  own  limbs." 

"  You  are  wrong,  mother,  quite  wrong,"  replied  the  young 
man.  "  Activity  and  exercise  keep  them  going.  When  the 
Jonker  van  Nordwyk  asked  me  to  drill  them  in  the  place  of 
poor  Captain  Allertssohn,  he  knew  what  he  was  about." 

1  You  are  thinking  of  the  saying  that  a  plowshare  never 
rusts.  Perhaps  you  are  right;  but  before  you  go,  drink  a 
mouthful  of  liquor.  We  are  still  well  off  for  wine.  Well,  at 
any  rate  when  folks  are  kept  employed  they  do  not  mutiny  like 
those  miserable  volunteers  the  day  before  yesterday.  Thank 
God  we  are  quit  of  them!"  While  the  widow  was  filling  a 
glass,  the  musician's  worthy  mother,  Dame  van  Mierop,  came 
into  the  kitchen  and  greeted  Barbara  and  the  baron.  She  car- 
ried a  little  parcel  wrapped  in  cloth,  which  she  clasped  tightly 
to  her  bosom.     Her  person  was  still  tolerably  substantial,  but 


196  the  burgomaster's  wife. 

her  .am jilt1  dimensions,  which  only  a  few  months  ago  she  had 
carried  with  honest  pride,  now  seemed  a  burden  which  op- 
pressed her.  She  took  her  parcel  in  her  right  hand,  and  hold- 
ing it  out,  she  said: 

I  have  something  here  for  your  Elizabeth.  My  "Wilhelni, 
like  a  good  soul  as  he  is — : '  but  here  she  paused  and  withdrew 
her  gift;  she  had  observed  the  Jonker's  plucked  bird,  and  she 
went  on,  in  an  altered  tone:  "But  I  see  you  have  a  pigeon 
already — so  much  the  better.  The  town  clerk's  little  girl  is 
beginning  to  sicken  too.     Till  to-morrow — God  willing." 

She  turned  to  go,  but  the  Jonker  held  her  back,  and  said: 

"  You  are  mistaken,  most  worthy  dame.  I  shot  that  bird 
to-day;  and  I  will  confess  now,  mother — my  corvus  is  a  miser- 
able raven." 

"I  thought  as  much!"  cried  the  widow.  "Abominable 
carrion!"  But  she  poked  her  finger  against  the  bird's  breast, 
and  added,  reflectively:  "Still,  there  is  some  flesh  on  the 
breast." 

"  A  raven!"  cried  the  receiver-general's  wife,  clasping  her 
hands  in  horror.  "But  to  be  sure,  the  cats  and  dogs  have 
long  since  twirled  on  many  a  spit  and  found  their  way  into 
many  a  stew-pan.     There  is  the  pigeon  for  you." 

Barbara  unwraj)ped  the  precious  morsel  as  tenderly  as  if  it 
might  break  under  her  hand,  and  gazed  at  it  quite  lovingly, 
as  she  felt  its  weight,  and  the  worthy  donor  went  on: 

"  This  is  the  fourth  already  that  my  son  has  killed,  and  he 
says  it  was  a  good  flier  too.  He  himself  sent  it  expressly  for 
Elizabeth.  Stuff  it  nicely  with  a  light  paste — not  too  stiff  and 
a  very  little  sweetened.  That  is  what  the  little  ones  like;  and 
it  is  sure  to  do  her  good,  for  it  was  given  with  real  good  will. 
But  put  it  out  of  sight,  for  when  one  has  known  the  poor  little 
thing  so  well  it  grieves  one  to  see  it  dead. " 

"  May  God  reward  you!"  cried  Barbara,  wringing  the  good 
woman's  hand.     "  Oh,  these  are  awful  times!" 

"  But  still  there  is  always  something  to  be  thankful  for." 

"  Certainly,  for  it  is  still  worse  in  hell,"  retorted  the  widow. 

"  Nay — do  not  speak  so  sinfully,"  said  the  old  woman, 
gravely,  "  for  you  have  but  one  sick  child  in  your  house.  Is 
Dame  Maria  within?" 

"  She  is  in  the  wTork-rooms,  giving  the  people  a  little  meat 
out  of  wdiat  we  can  spare.  Arc  you  as  badly  oil'  for  meals  as 
we  are?  There  are  still  cows  to  be  seen  in  the  fields,  but  the 
corn  has  vanished  as  if  it  had  been  swept  away;  there  was  not 
a  measure  for  sale  in  the  market.  Will  you  take  a  glass  of 
wine,  friend  Van  Mierop?   And  shall  I  fetch  my  sister-in-law?" 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  197 

"  I  will  go  and  find  her  myself.  The  prices  in  the  market 
are  quite  beyond  endurance.  We  can  not  stand  them  at  all; 
but  she  will  bring  the  folks  to  reason." 

"  The  dealers  in  the  market?"  asked  Georg. 

"  Yes,  Baron  von  Dornburg,  yes.  That  gentle  woman  can 
do  things  you  would  never  believe  of  her.  The  day  before  yes- 
terday, when  the  authorities  wanted  to  find  out  what  store  of 
provisions  still  remained  in  each  house,  I  and  the  others  found 
the  people  very  ill  pleased,  and  several,  in  fact,  showed  us  the 
door.  And  she  went  to  the  roughest  and  rudest,  and  they 
opened  their  cellars  and  store-rooms  to  her,  as  the  waves  of  the 
sea  parted  before  the  children  of  Israel.  How  she  managed  it 
God  only  knows,  but  no  one  could  resist  her." 

Georg  drew  a  deep  breath  and  left  the  kitchen.  In  the 
court-yard  he  found  some  of  the  town  guard,  with  a  few  volun- 
teers and  soldiers  belonging  to  the  town  watch,  with  whom  he 
was  about  to  practice  fencing.  Van  der  Werff  had  lent  his 
court-yard  for  the  purpose,  and  certainly  there  was  not  in  all 
Leyden  a  man  better  fitted  to  take  the  place  of  the  valorous 
Allertssohn  than  the  young  German  baron. 

But  Barbara  was  right;  his  pivpils  looked  lean  and  wretched 
enough;  still,  many  a  man  among  them  had  learned  to  wield 
his  sword  right  well  from  their  deceased  master,  and  put  his 
whole  soul  into  his  work.  In  the  middle  of  the  court-yard 
stood  a  dummy  stuffed  with  tow  and  covered  with  leather, 
which  had  on  its  left  side  a  red  patch  in  the  form  of  a  heart. 
On  this  the  unskilled  were  made  to  practice,  to  steady  their 
hand  and  eye;  the  rest  stood  in  pairs,  face  to  face,  and  fought 
their  bloodless  duels  under  the  baron's  directions  with  blunted 
rapiers. 

The  young  man  had  been  feeling  very  limp  and  feeble  when 
he  first  came  into  the  kitchen,  for  he  had  left  the  larger  half 
of  his  day's  rations  at  the  unfortunate  tailor's;  but  Barbara's 
wine  had  done  him  good,  and  he  pulled  himself  together  and 
went  out  boldly  and  resolutely  to  meet  his  pupils.  He  flung 
his  ruff  on  to  a  bench,  tightened  up  his  belt,  and  was  soon 
standing  in  his  shirt-sleeves  in  front  of  the  soldiers. 

No  sooner  had  he  spoken  his  first  word  of  command  than 
Henrika's  bow-window  was  shut  with  an  angry  rattle.  It  had 
often  been  thrown  open  on  former  occasions  when  the  fencing 
practice  had  begun;  indeed,  she  had  not  been  too  coy  to  clap 
her  hands  now  and  then  or  shout:  "Well  done!"  But  this 
was  long  since;  for  some  weeks  past  she  had  not  had  a  word  or 
a  glance  for  the  baron.  She  bad  never  before  treated  any 
man  as  she  had  him,  nor  taken  so  much  trouble  to  win  even  a 


198  THE    BURGOMASTER'S    WIFE. 

prince's  good  graces.  And  he?  At  first  he  had  taken  it  very 
coolly,  and  afterward  he  hud  taken  more  and  more  pains  to 
avoid  her.  Her  pride  was  deeply  wounded;  her  mission  to 
keep  him  out  of  Maria's  way  was  long  since  forgotten;  and, 
indeed,  something — she  knew  not  what — had  risen  up  and 
stood  between  her  and  the  young  wife.  Not  a  day  passed 
without  her  having  occasion  to  meet  the  Jonker;  and  of  this 
she  was  glad,  for  it  gave  her  the  opportunity  of  showing  him 
that  she  was  indifferent  to  him — nay,  that  she  would  rather 
not  see  him.  Her  imprisonment  within  the  walls  weighed 
heavily  on  her,  and  she  longed  beyond  all  utterance  to  be  free 
— in  the  open  country — in  the  woods.  Nevertheless  she  never 
expressed  a  wish  to  leave  the  town,  for  Georg  was  in  Leyden, 
and  he  filled  her  mind  sleeping  and  waking.  To-day  she  loved 
him,  to-morrow  she  hated  him,  and  both  with  all  the  vehe- 
mence of  her  passionate  nature.  She  often  thought  of  her  sis- 
ter, and  put  up  many  a  prayer  for  her.  To  win  the  favor  of 
Heaven  by  good  works,  as  well  as  to  dissipate  the  tedium  of 
life,  she  helped  the  Carmelite  Sisters,  who  lived  in  the  little 
old  convent  close  to  the  Van  der  Werffs'  house,  to  nurse  the 
sick  whom  they  had  benevolently  taken  under  their  roof,  and 
even  went  with  Sister  Gonzaga  to  the  houses  of  the  richer 
Catholics  to  collect  their  alms  for  the  little  hospital.  But  she 
did  all  this  without  any  cheerful  devotedness;  sometimes  with 
fevered  zeal  and  then  again  indifferently;  sometimes  she  would 
even  neglect  it  for  days.  She  had  become  to  the  last  degree 
irritable;  but  after  carrying  everything  with  such  a  high  hand 
as  to  be  quite  unendurable  one  day,  the  next  day  she  would  be 
depressed  and  melancholy,  though  she  never  thought  of  asking 
forgiveness  of  those  whom  she  had  offended. 

At  the  present  moment  she  stood  behind  her  window  looking 
at  Georg,  who  was  rushing  at  the  leather  man  with  flying  lea]3S, 
and  piercing  his  red  heart  through  and  through  with  his 
sword.  The  soldiers  gave  loud  expression  to  their  admiration; 
even  Henrika's  eyes  glanced  approval,  but  they  suddenly  lost 
their  fire,  and  she  turned  on  her  heel  as  she  saw  Maria  come 
out  of  the  warehouses  and  with  downcast  eyes  cross  the  court- 
yard in  front  of  the  fencers. 

The  young  woman  was  paler  than  of  yore,  but  her  clear 
blue  eye  looked  out  on  the  world  with  more  independence  and 
determination.  She  had  learned  to  go  her  own  way  and  had 
sought  and  found  many  onerous  duties  in  the  service  of  the 
town  and  of  the  poor.  In  many  a  wild  heart-struggle  she  had 
won  the  field,  but  the  battle  was  not  yet  over;  that  she  felt 
keenly  as  often  as  Georg's  way  and  hers  happened  to  cross. 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE.  199 

She  avoided  him  whenever  it  was  possible,  for  she  did  not  con- 
ceal from  herself  that  any  attempt  to  live  with  him  on  equal 
terms  as  a  friend  and  a  brother  could  be  nothing  else  but  the 
first  step  toward  the  abyss.  He  honestly  did  his  best  to  second 
her  efforts,  with  infinite  self-control;  and  of  this  she  was  grate- 
fully conscious,  for  she  stood  heart  to  heart  with  her  husband 
on  the  ship  of  their  united  life;  she  would  have  no  other  pilot 
but  Peter,  nor  was  there  any  terror  in  the  thought  of  founder- 
ing with  him.  And  yet,  and  yet — Georg  was  the  mountain  of 
lodestone  which  attracted  her  to  its  side,  and  which  she  must 
diligently  avoid  to  save  the  whole  craft  from  shipwreck. 

To-day  she  had  made  it  her  business  in  the  workshops  to 
ask  each  worker  how  he  was  getting  on,  and  pictures  of  the 
utmost  misery  had  been  brought  before  her.  The  brave  folks 
knew  that  the  surrender  of  the  town  might  put  an  end  to  their 
sufferings,  but  for  faith  aud  freedom's  sake  they  were  resigned 
to  hold  out,  and  bore  their  hardsl^s  as  an  inevitable  mis- 
fortune. 

In  the  hall  Maria  met  Wilhelm's  mother,  and  she  promised 
her  that  in  the  course  of  the  clay  she  would  speak  to  the  town 
clerk's  wife  on  the  subject  of  the  exorbitant  demands  of  the 
market-folk;  then  she  went  to  poor  little  Elizabeth's  room, 
and  found  the  child  sitting  pale  and  exhausted  in  her  little 
chair.  Her  best  doll  had  been  lying  in  her  lap  in  the  same 
position  for  more  than  an  hour,  for  her  hands  and  spirit  were 
too  feeble  to  play  with  the  toy.  Trautchen  brought  her  in  a 
cupful  of  fresh  milk;  the  supjfiy  had  not  yet  altogether  failed, 
for  a  considerable  number  of  cows  still  grazed  outside  the  walls 
within  range  of  the  cannon;  but  the  child  would  not  drink  it, 
and  cried  before  she  could  at  last  be  persuaded  to  sip  a  few 
drops. 

While  Maria  was  coaxing  the  little  girl,  Peter  came  into  the 
room.  The  fine,  tall  man,  the  very  ideal  of  a  respectable 
burgher,  who  was  wont  to  pay  some  attention,  too,  to  the  dignity 
of  his  outward  appearance,  now  looked  neglected;  his  brown 
hair  hung  over  his  forehead,  his  thick  beard — usually  so  clean- 
ly defined — now  sj)reacl  a  thin  unshaven  border  of  lighter  color 
over  his  cheeks;  his  doublet  was  too  wide  for  him,  and  his 
hose  did  not  cling  neatly  as  they  used,  but  hung  in  creases  on 
his  sturdy  legs. 

He  waved  his  hand  languidly  to  his  wife,  and  going  up  to 
the  child  he  stood  looking  at  her  for  some  time  in  silence,  but 
with  pathetic  tenderness.  The  child  turned  her  sweet  little 
face  toward  him  and  tried  to  smile  at  him,  but  the  smile  faded 
on  her  lips,  and  she  looked  down  again  dully  at  the  doll.     He 


200  TTTF,    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE. 

bent  down  and  lifted  her  up  in  his  arms,  called  lier  name,  and 
kised  her  pale  cheeks.  The  child  gently  stroked  his  beard, 
and  said,  feebly: 

"  Put  me  down  again,  father;  it  makes  me  giddy  to  be  held 
so  high  ui)." 

His  eyes  were  moist  as  he  gently  set  her  down  in  her  little 
chair  again.  Then  he  quitted  the  room  and  went  to  his  own 
study.     Maria  followed  him. 

"  Nothing  yet  from  the  prince  or  the  states  general?"  she 
asked. 

He  shrugged  his  shoulders,  but  said  nothing. 

"  But  they  will  not,  they  can  not  forget  us,"  cried  his  wife, 
eagerly. 

"  We  are  dying,  and  they  leave  us  to  die,"  he  said,  gloomily. 

"  No,  no,  they  have  pierced  the  dykes.  I  know,  I  am  sure, 
they  will  relieve  us." 

"  Yes,  when  it  is  too  late.  One  misfortune  comes  upon  an- 
other, miseries  are  heaped  upon  us,  and  on  whom  do  the  curses 
of  the  starving  folks  fall?  On  me,  on  me,  and  on  no  one  but 
me." 

"  Nay,  you  have  the  prince's  representative  to  stand  by 
yon." 

Peter  smiled  bitterly. 

"  He  took  to  his  bed  yesterday,"  he  said.  "  The  plague, 
Bontius  says.     I  am  alone  to  bear  it  all. " 

"  We  bear  it  with  you,"  said  Maria.  "  In  dearth  now,  and 
then  in  hunger,  as  we  pledged  ourselves." 

"  And  worse  than  that!  Our  last  flour  was  baked  to-day. 
There  is  no  more  bread  anywhere. " 

"  We  still  have  cattle  and  horses." 

"It  will  be  their  turn  next;  it  was  settled  to-day;  two 
pounds  with  bone  to  every  four  souls.  Bread  gone,  cows  gone, 
milk  gone.  And  then  what  will  happen?  Mothers,  infants, 
sick  folks — and  our  Elizabeth — " 

The  burgomaster  pressed  his  hands  to  his  temples  and 
groaned;  but  Maria  said:  "Courage,  Peter;  courage.  Cling 
only  to  one  thing;  one  thing  never  cease  to  hold  fast  by — 
hope. " 

"  Hope!"  he  said,  scornfully;  "  hope!" 

"  To  cease  to  hope,"  she  went  on,  "  means  despair.  De- 
spair in  our  case  means  opening  the  gates,  and  opening  th& 
gates  means — " 

"  Who  thinks  of  opening  the  gates?  Who  speaks  of  sur- 
render?" he  interrupted,  wratlifully.     "  We  will  stand  firm — 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  201 

still,   still —     There  is  tlie  letter-case;   give  it  to  the  mes- 
senger. " 


CHAPTER   XXIX. 

Elizabeth  had  eaten  a  scrap  of  the  roast  pigeon,  the  first 
solid  food  for  several  clays,  and  there  was  as  much  joy  in  the 
burgomaster's  house  as  though  some  great  piece  of  good  fort- 
uue  had  befallen  the  family.  Adrian  ran  across  to  the  work- 
shops, and  told  all  the  work-people.  Peter  drew  himself  up 
more  bravely  as  he  went  to  the  town  hall,  and  Maria,  being 
obliged  to  go  out,  went  round  to  the  good  dame  who  had 
brought  the  bird  to  tell  her  what  a  good  effect  her  son's  gift 
had  had. 

Tears  ran  down  the  good  woman's  flabby  cheeks  as  she  list- 
ened to  Dame  Maria's  report.     She  kissed  her,  exclaiming: 

"  Ah,  our  Wilhelm — my  "Wilhelm!  I  wish  he  were  at  home 
at  this  moment;  but  I  will  call  his  father.  But,  to  be  sure, 
he  is  out  too,  at  the  town  hall.  What  was  I  thinking  of? 
Hark,  dame,  listen!  what  is  that?" 

The  old  lady's  speech  had  been  interrupted  by  the  pealing 
of  bells  and  booming  of  cannon;  she  hastily  threw  open  the 
window,  exclaiming: 

"  It  is  the  bell  of  St.  Pan  eras,  and  not  an  alarm-bell!  Hark, 
firing  and  joyful  chimes!  Something  good  must  have  hap- 
pened— well,  we  wanted  it!  Ulrich,  Ulrich!  Come  back  at  once 
and  tell  us  the  news.  Great  and  merciful  Father,  merciful 
God!  send  us  relief!     If  it  should  be  there  already!" 

The  women  waited  in  the  utmost  excitement;  at  last  Ulrich, 
Wilhelm's  brother,  came  back,  and  told  them  that  the  messen- 
gers sent  from  Delft  had  succeeded  in  making  their  way 
through  the  enemy's  ranks,  and  had  brought  a  letter  from  the 
states  general.  Van  Hout  had  read  it  to  the  people  from  a 
window  of  the  town  hall.  The  states  general  praised  the  con- 
duct and  steadfastness  of  the  town,  and  informed  them  that, 
notwithstanding  the  injury  it  must  entail  on  thousands  of  land- 
holders, the  dykes  were  being  pierced. 

The  sea  was  in  fact  already  flooding  the  country,  and  the 
messengers  had  themselves  seen  the  vessels  which  were  to 
bring  relief.  Before  long  the  land  round  Leyden  would  be 
under  water,  and  the  rising  flood  must  compel  the  Spanish 
army  to  evacuate  their  position.  '  Better  a  drowned  land  than 
a  lost  land!"  This  stern  motto  had  decided  the  votes  as  to 
resorting  to  this  extreme  measure,  and  it  might  be  confidently 
expected  that  those  who  had  staked  so  much  already  would 


202  TTTE    BTJBGOkASTER'S   WIFE, 

shrink  from  no  sacrifice  to  save  Leyden.  The  two  women 
shook  hands  with  happy  excitement;  the  peal  of  bells  rung 
cheerily  out,  and  Bhol  after  shoi  shook  the  rattling  windows. 

It  was  growing  dark  as  Maria  made  her  way  homeward.  It 
was  long  since  she  had  fell  so  light-hearted.  The  black  tablets 
on  the  plague-stricken  houses  looked  lessdismal;  the  sharpened 
faces  less  pitiable  than  before,  for  succor  was  at  hand  for  all. 
Their  tenacious  fidelity  would  be  rewarded;  the  cause  of  free- 
dom would  triumph. 

Her  feet  seemed  winged  as  she  walked  down  the  Breedo 
Street.  Thousands  of  townsfolk  were  assembled  there  to  see 
and  to  hear  what  they  might  dare  to  hope,  or  what  there  was 
still  to  fear.  The  town  musicians — an  important  institution 
in  every  Dutch  or  German  town  in  those  times — were  posted 
at  the  corners  of  the  streets,  and  playing  with  inspiriting 
energy,  while  the  chant  of  the  Gueux  mingled  with  the  sound 
of  pipes  and  trunrpets  and  the  shouts  of  the  excited  inhal  ti- 
tan ts.  But  there  were,  too,  several  groups  of  well-dressed  citi- 
zens and  their  wives,  who  had  collected  on  purpose  to  mock 
loudly  and  unblushingly  at  the  cheerful  strains  and  the  deluded 
simpletons  who  allowed  themselves  to  be  cheated  by  empty 
promises.  Where  was  the  relief?  "What  could  such  a  handful 
of  Gueux  as,  at  best,  the  prince  could  command  and  bring  up, 
do  against  the  tremendous  force  the  king  had  set  down  to  be- 
leaguer Leyden?  And  as  to  flooding  the  country — the  plain 
on  which  the  town  stood  was  too  high  for  the  water  ever  to 
reach  it.  The  peasants  had  been  ruined  without  helping  the 
townsfolk.  There  was  but  one  way  of  escape — to  trust  to  the 
king's  clemency. 

What  good  will  freedom  do  us?"  cried  a  brewer,  whose 
grain  had  long  since  been  confiscated  with  that  of  all  his  guild, 
and  who  had  been  unable  to  brew  any  new  beer.  "  What  good 
will  freedom  do  us  when  we  are  all  cold  in  our  graves?  Every 
well-meaning  man  follow  me  to  the  town  hall,  and  insist  on 
surrender  before  it  is  too  late." 

"Surrender!  Trust  to  the  king's  grace!"  a  score  or  so  of 
citizens  shouted  in  chorus. 

"  Ay,  first  we  must  live,  and  then  comes  the  question  of 
free  or  Spanish — Calvinist  or  Papist!"  shouted  a  master 
weaver.        I  am  going  to  the  town  hall!" 

"  You  are  very  right,  good  folks,"  said  Burgomaster  Baers- 
dorp,  who  was  coming  toward  them  from  the  town  hall,  in  a 
splendid  cloak  bordered  with  sable,  and  who  had  heard  the 
last  speech;  "but  be  warned!  to-day  the  more  credulous  are 
beginning  to  be  hopeful  again,  and  the  time  is  ill-chosen  for 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  203 

urging  your  views,  however  reasonable.  Wait  a  few  days 
longer,  and  if  relief  has  not  then  arrived,  assert  your  opinion 
loudly.  I  will  speak  a  word  on  your  side,  and  many  another 
good  man,  too,  in  the  Council.  We  have  nothing  hut  kindness 
and  mercy  to  look  for  from  Valdez.  To  resist  the  king  was  a 
foolish  game  from  the  first,  and  to  fight  against  famine,  pesti- 
lence, and  death  is  sinful  madness.  God  be  with  you,  good 
people!" 

The  burgomaster  is  right/'  said  a  dyer. 
:'  And  Van  Swieten  and  Norden  think  as  he  does;  but  Mas- 
ter Peter  holds  his  seat  by  the  prince's  favor.  The  Spaniards 
may  save  us,  but  he  loses  his  head  when  they  march  in !  Die 
we  may,  if  die  we  must,  so  long  as  he  and  his  live  on  the  fat 
of  the  land  and  are  satisfied. " 

:'  There  goes  his  wife,"  said  the  master  weaver,  pointing  to 
Maria;  "  how  well  content  she  looks!  The  buff -leather  trade 
must  bo  thriving.  Hi!  Dame  Burgomistress!  hi!  Carry  our 
service  to  your  husband,  and  tell  him  that  his  life  is  no  doubt 
precious,  but  that  ours,  after  all,  is  not  a  mere  wisp  of  straw. " 

"Yes,  and  tell  him  too,"  shouted  a  cattle-dealer,  who  did 
not  look  as  if  he  had  suffered  much  yet  from  hunger,  "  tell 
him  that  oxen  are  good  to  kill,  and  the  more  the  better,  but 
that  the  good  folks  of  Leyden — " 

The  speaker  did  not  finish  his  sentence,  for  Master  Aquanus 
had  spied  from  the  Angulus  what  was  happening  to  the 
burgomaster's  wife,  and  he  had  come  out  of  his  inn,  and  was 
now  standing  among  the  malcontents. 

"Shame  upon  you!"  he  exclaimed,  "for  attacking  a  re- 
spectable lady  in  the  street.  Is  this  the  Leyden  fashion !  Take 
my  hand,  Dame  Maria,  and  if  I  hear  another  word  of  abuse  I 
will  call  the  town  watch.  I  know  you.  The  gallows  still 
stands  by  the  Blue  Stone,  where  Master  van  Bronkhorst  had  it 
set  up  for  such  as  you.  Which  of  you  would  like  to  handsel 
it?" 

The  men  to  whom  this  was  addressed  were  not  the  bravest 
'of  their  sex,  and  not  another  word  was  uttered  as  Aquanus  led 
the  young  woman  into  the  shelter  of  the  Exchange  Inn.  The 
host's  wife  and  daughter  received  Maria  in  their  own  rooms, 
which  stood  apart  from  the  hostelry,  and  begged  her  to  rest 
there  till  the  throng  should  have  dispersed.  But  Maria  was 
anxious  to  get  home,  and  when  she  explained  that  she  must 
proceed  at  once,  Van  Aken  offered  his  escort. 

In  the  hall  of  the  inn  Von  Dornburg  was  standing,  and  he 
was  about  to  retire  with  a  respectful  bow,  when  Aquanus  called 
him  to  speak  with  him. 


204  THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE. 

"We  are  very  busy  here,"  lie  said,  "for  many  a  man  is 
treating  himself  to  a  glass  in  a  honor  of  1  lie  good  news.  Do  not 
take  ii  amiss,  dame,  but  the  Jonker  "will  take  yon  home  <piite 
as  safely  as  I  could;  and  you,  Baron  von  Dornburg — " 

"  1  am  yours  to  command/"  replied  Georg;  and  he  and  the 
young  wife  weiit  out  into  the  street. 

For  some  minutes  they  walked  on  side  by  side  in  silence, 
each  fancying  they  could  hear  the  other's  heart  beat.  At  last 
the  Jonker  drew  a  deeper  breath  and  sj)oke. 

"  Three  long,  long  months  have  gone  by  since  I  came. 
Have  I  been  brave,  Maria?" 

"Yes,  Georg." 

"  But  you  can  never  imagine  what  it  has  cost  me  to  keep 
my  aching  heart  in  chains,  to  guard  my  words,  and  blind  my 
eyes.     Once,  only  once,  Maria,  I  must  speak — " 

"  Never!"  she  interrupted  him  with  resolute  entreaty. 
"  Never!  I  know  how  nobly  you  have  struggled;  do  not  now 
weakly  lose  the  glory  of  victory." 

"  Oh,  hear  me,  Maria!  this  once  only,  hear  me!" 

"  And  what  good  will  it  do  you  to  burden  my  soul  with  hear- 
ing your  burning  words?  There  is  but  one  man  living  who 
may  tell  me  that  he  loves  me;  and  what  I  ought  not  to  hear 
you  ought  not  to  say." 

"  Ought  not?"  he  said,  in  a  tone  of  gentle  reproach;  and 
then  he  went  on,  gloomily  and  bitterly:  You  are  right,  very 
right.  Even  speech  is  forbidden  me;  my  life  must  flow  on 
forever  a  stream  of  lead,  and  whatever  may  grow  or  blossom 
on  the  banks  must  be  scentless  and  colorless.  The  golden  sun- 
light is  shrouded  from  me  by  clouds;  all  joys  lie  pale  and  dead 
in  my  heart;  and  all  that  ever  delighted  me  is  now  mere 
emptiness  and  vanity.  Do  you  even  recognize  in  me  the  care- 
less fellow  that  I  once  was?" 

"  Nay,  try  once  more  to  be  happy;  try  for  my  sake." 

"It  is  past  and  gone,"  he  murmured  sadly.  "  You  saw 
me  at  Delft,  but  you  never  really  knew  me.  My  eyes  were  like 
a  pair  of  magical  mirrors,  in  which  every  object  that  is  re- 
flected is  beautified  and  transfigured;  and  they  had  their  re- 
ward, for  wherever  they  turned  they  met  kindly  glances.  My 
heart  could  then  embrace  the  whole  world,  and  it  beat  so  high 
and  so  lightly!  Sometimes  I  was  quite  beside  myself,  and  did 
not  know  which  way  to  turn  for  sheer  joyousness  and  vitality;  I 
felt  as  though,  like  a  cannon  that  bursts  with  being  over- 
charged, I  must  fly  into  a  thousand  pieces — only  not  scattered 
about  the  world,  but  straight  up  to  heaven  at  once.  It  was 
happiness,  and  yet  it  was  a  pain.     Ah!  I  have  felt  it  in  Delft 


THE    -nURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  205 

a  score  of  times  when  you  have  been  sweet  and  kind  to  me! 
And  now,  now!  I  still  have  wings — I  still  could  fly — hut  I 
crawl  about  like  a  snail — for  you  will  have  it  so. '' 

"  I  will  not  have  it  so,"  answered  Maria;  "  you  are  very 
dear  to  me;  that  I  may  frankly  confess,  and  to  see  you  as  you 
are  now  is  a  great  grief  to  me.  And  now,  if  you  have  any  re- 
gard for  me — and  I  know  full  well  that  you  have — I  implore 
you,  cease  to  inflict  such  misery  on  me.  You  are  very  dear  to 
me;  I  have  said  it,  and  it  has  to  be  said,  that  all  may  be  clear 
between  us.  You  are  dear  to  me  as  the  sweet  by-gone  days  of 
my  youth  are,  as  sweet  dreams  are,  as  a  strain  of  delicious 
music  is,  which  soothes  and  refreshes  our  soul  when  we  hear 
or  remember  it;  but  you  are  no  more  to  me,  and  you  never 
can  be.  You  are  dear  to  me,  and  I  wish  that  you  should  re- 
main so,  and  you  can  only  remain  so  by  keeping  the  oath 
which  you  have  sworn." 

"  Sworn?"  said  Georg;  "  sworn?" 

"  Yes,  sworn/'  repeated  Maria,  standing  still,  "  on  my  hus- 
band's breast  on  his  birthday,  after  we  had  been  singing.  Ee- 
member  it  well!  you  swore  then  an  unspoken  vow;  I  know  it 
no  less  certainly  than  that  I  swore  to  be  faithful  to  my  hus- 
band at  the  altar.     If  you  can  give  me  the  lie,  do  so." 

Georg  shook  his  head  and  answered  with  growing  vehe- 
mence : 

"  You  read  my  soul;  our  hearts  know  each  other  like  two 
trusted  friends — as  the  earth  sees  the  moon  and  the  moon  the 
earth.  What  would  one  be  without  the  other?  Why,  why 
should  they  be  parted?  Have  you  walked  along  a  lane 
through  a  wood?  There  are  two  ruts  running  side  by  side, 
and  never  crossing,  never  meeting.  They  are  kept  asunder 
by  the  axle-tree,  as  we  are  by  our  vows." 

"  Say,  rather,  by  our  honor." 

"  By  our  honor.  But  presently  you  come  to  a  spot  where 
the  road  ends,  at  a  plantation  or  a  charcoal  heap,  and  there 
the  ruts  cut  across  each  other;  well,  at  this  hour  I  feel  my  path 
has  come  to  an  abrupt  end.  I  can  not  go  on  any  further  like 
this;  I  can  not — the  horses  will  run  away  into  the  thicket,  and 
the  chariot  will  be  wrecked  on  the  roots  and  rocks." 

"And  with  it  our  honor.  Not  another  word;  come,  we 
must  walk  faster.  Do  you  see  the  lights  in  the  windows? 
Every  one  wants  to  show  that  he  rejoices  at  the  good  news, 
and  our  house  must  not  remain  in  darkness." 

"  Do  not  hurry  so;  Barbara  will  take  care  of  that;  and  we 
so  soon  must  part.  And  you  know  you  said  that  I  was  dear 
to  you." 


206  THE    -BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE. 

"  Do  not  torture  me!"  pleaded  the  young  wife,  pathetically. 

"  I  do  not  wish  to  torture  you,  Maria,  but  you  must  at  least, 

hear   me.      It  was  in  earnest — in   b  lemu   earnest — that  I 

pledged  myself  to  that  vow  1  swore  in  silence,  and  1  had 
hoped  to  redeem  it  by  death.  You  heard  how  I  thing  myself, 
like  a  madman,  into  the  midst  of  the  Spaniards,  at  the  storm- 
ing of  the  fort  of  Boschhuizen,  in  Jul}'.  Your  ribbon — the 
blue  ribbon  of  Delft,  that  ribbon  of  heaven's  own  blue— flut- 
tered from  my  shoulder-knot  as  I  rushed  upon  the  swords  and 
spears.  But  1  was  not  to  die;  I  came  safely  out  of  the  melee. 
Oh,  Maria,  for  that  oath's  sake  I  have  suffered  torments  un- 
utterable! Release  me  from  it;  let  me  once — only  this  once — 
tell  you,  Maria — " 

"  Stop,  Georg;  say  no  more!"  she  hastily  implored  him.  "  I 
will  not— I  must  not  hear  you;  not  to-day  nor  to-morrow — 
never,  never;  through  all  eternity,  never!" 

"  Once- — for  once  I  will — I  must  tell  you  that  I  love  you; 
that  my  life  and  salvation — my  peace  and  honor — " 

"  Cease,  Jonker  von  Dornburg;  do  not  speak  another  word. 
There  is  our  house;  you  are  our  guest.  If  you  say  a  single 
word  more  such  as  those  last  to  the  wife  of  your  friend — " 

"  Maria,  Maria!  stay;  do  not  knock.  How  can  you  so  heart- 
lessly wreck  the  whole  happiness  of  a  human  life — " 

But  the  door  was  opened,  and  Maria  stood  on  the  threshold. 
Georg  stood  opposite  to  her  for  a  moment,  stretching  out  his 
hand  as  craving  hers  to  save  him,  and  he  said,  desperately : 

"Rejected — thrust  out  to  death  and  desolation!  Maria, 
Maria,  why  have  you  done  this?" 

She  put  her  hand  into  his. 

"  That  we  may  remain  worthy  of  each  other,"  she  said. 

She  wrenched  her  cold  hand  from  his  clasp  and  went  into 
the  house;  but  he  wandered  for  hours  through  the  illuminated 
streets  like  a  drunken  man,  and  at  last  flung  himself  on  to 
his  bed  with  an  aching  brain.  On  a  little  table  by  his  side  lay 
a  note-book;  he  took  it  up,  and  with  trembling  lingers  began 
to  write.  Many  times  his  pencil  stood  still,  or  he  lay  sighing 
deeply  and  gazing  into  vacancy.  At  last  he  threw  the  book 
aside,  and  watched  uneasily  for  the  morning. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

Soon"  after  sunrise  Georg  sprung  from  his  bed,  pulled  out 
his  knapsack  and  began  to  fill  it  with  his  few  possessions;  but 
the  note-book  was  not  packed  in  with  the  rest.  It  was  still 
quite  early  when  the  organist  came  into  the  court-yard  with 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE.  207 

the  first  of  the  workmen  coming  to  their  work.  The  Jonker 
saw  him,  and  went  to  meet  him  at  the  gate.  The  musician's 
face  showed  but  slight  traces  of  the  famine,  but  his  whole 
frame  quivered  with  agitation,  and  his  color  came  and  went  as, 
unhesitatingly  and  in  breathless  haste,  he  related  the  object  of 
his  early  visit  to  the  burgomaster's  house. 

A  Spanish  envoy  had  brought  in  letters  the  day  before  to 
Van  der  Werff,  shortly  after  the  arrival  of  the  prince's  mes- 
senger. One  of  these  letters  was  from  young  Nicolas  Mate- 
nesse,  and  contained  merely  the  information  that  Henrika's 
sister  had  reached  Leyderdorp  with  Belotti,  and  had  found  a 
home,  for  the  time,  at  a  farm  belonging  to  the  elder  Baron 
van  Wibisma.  She  was  very  ill,  and  longed  to  see  her  sister. 
The  burgomaster  had  given  this  letter  to  Henrika,  and  she  had 
at  once  hastened  off  to  Wilhelm,  to  entreat  him  to  help  her  to 
quit  the  town,  and  to  escort  her  himself  as  far  as  the  Spanish 
lines. 

"Wilhelm  had  a  hard  battle  to  fight;  no  sacrifice  seemed  to 
him  too  great  if  he  could  only  see  Anna  once  more;  and  what 
the  messengers  had  succeeded  in  doing,  he  surely  could  do. 
But  ought  he  to  help  the  one  hostage  for  the  authorities  of  the 
town  to  make  her  escape — ought  he  to  cheat  the  gate-keepers 
and  desert  his  post?  Since  the  day  when  Henrika  had  ap- 
pealed to  him  to  fetch  her  sister  from  Lugano  to  Holland, 
Georg  had  been  fully  informed  as  to  her  whole  history;  and  he 
knew,  too,  how  the  musician's  heart  was  engaged  in  the  mat- 
ter. 

"  I  must,  and  yet  I  must  not!"  cried  Wilhelm.  "  I  have 
l^assed  a  terrible  night;  put  yourself  in  my  place  or  in  Mis- 
tress Henrika's  I" 

"  Ask  for  leave  till  to-morrow,"  said  Georg,  decidedly. 
"  When  it  is  dark,  I  will  conduct  Henrika  with  you  outside 
the  town.  Only  she  must  solemnly  promise  to  return  to  it  if 
it  is  at  last  surrendered.  So  far  as  I  am  concerned,  I  am  no 
longer  pledged  to  serve  under  the  English  flag:  four  weeks 
since  we  had  leave  granted  us  to  enlist  in  the  service  of  the 
Netherlands.  One  word  to  Captain  van  der  Laen  and  I  am 
my  own  master." 

"  Thank  you  very  heartily!  But  Mistress  Henrika  strictly 
forbids  my  availing  myself  of  your  services. " 

"  Folly!  I  am  going  with  you,  and  when  we  have  reached 
our  destination  I  shall  cut  my  way  through  to  join  the  Gueux. 
The  Council  will  not  grieve  at  our  departing,  for  when  Henrika 
and  I  are  outside,  there  will  be  two  mouths  less  to  fill  in  Ley- 
den.     The  sky  is  overcast;  we  may  hope  for  a  dark  night. 


208  THE    BURGOMASTER'S  wife. 

Van  Duivcnvoorde  is  captain  of  the  watch  at  the  Hoogewoerde 
Gate.  He  knows  us  both,  and  will  let  us  pass  out;  I  will 
speak  to  him.     Is  the  farm  far  in  the  village? 

"  No;  quite  at  the  beginning,  on  the  road  to  Leyden." 

"  Very  good;  we  will  meet  again  at  four  o'clock  at  the  Ex- 
change Inn." 

"  But  Henrika— " 

"  It  will  be  soon  enough  if  she  is  told  who  her  companions 
are  when  she  is  at  the  gate." 

When  Georg  betook  himself  at  the  appointed  time  to  the 
Exchange  Inn  he  was  informed  that  Henrika  had  received 
yet  another  letter  from  Nicolas,  who  had  himself  given  it  to 
the  courier.     It  contained  only  these  words: 

'  Until    midnight    the    Spanish  pass-word  is   '  Lepanto. ' 
Your  father  shall  be  told  to-day  that  Anna  is  here." 

When  they  had  finally  agreed  to  set  out  by  the  Hoogewoerde 
Gate  at  nine  that  evening,  Georg  went  to  his  captain  and  to 
the  Commandant  Van  der  Does,  and  procured  from  the  former 
the  leave  of  absence  he  required,  and  from  Janus  Dousa  a  let- 
ter to  his  friend  Admiral  Boisot.  When  he  told  his  men  that 
he  was  about  to  leave  the  town  and  to  join  the  Gueux,  they  all 
declared  that  they  would  follow  him,  and  live  or  die  with  him, 
and  it  was  only  with  great  difficulty  that  he  persuaded  them 
to  remain  behind. 

As  he  passed  the  town  hall  he  slackened  his  pace:  the  burgo- 
master was  always  to  be  found  there  at  this  hour.  Ought  he 
to  quit  Leyden  without  taking  leave  of  him?  No,  no;  and  yet 
since  the  day  before  he  felt  he  had  lost  all  right  to  look  him 
boldly  in  the  face;  he  dreaded  meeting  him,  and  he  felt  an 
alien  and  an  outcast.  So  he  hurried  past  the  town  hall,  say- 
ing to  himself:  "And  if  I  do  leave  him  without  a  word  of 
farewell,  what  do  I  owe  him?  I  must  pay  for  his  kindness 
with  pain  and  anguish — perhaps  even  with  my  life.  Maria 
loved  me  before  she  loved  him,  and  ere  I  go  she  shall  know 
what  she  is  and  will  forever  be  to  me." 

It  was  dusk  when  he  went  back  to  his  room;  he  desired  the 
man-servant  to  carry  his  knajisack  to  Captain  van  Duiven- 
voorde,  on  guard  at  the  Hoogewoerde  Gate,  and,  placing  his 
note-book  inside  the  breast  of  his  doublet,  he  went  into  the 
dwelling-house  to  bid  adieu  to  Maria.  He  went  up  the  steps, 
trembling  with  excitement,  and  paused  when  he  readied  the 
upper  stair-landing.  His  heart  beat  so  violently  that  he  could 
hardly  breathe.  He  did  not  know  at  which  door  to  knock,  and 
was  oppressed  with  a  vague  dread.      There  he  stood  as  if 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  209 

paralyzed  for  some  few  minutes;  then  he  pulled  himself  to- 
gether, shook  himself,  and  muttered  to  himself,  "  "What  a 
coward  I  am!"  In  an  instant  he  had  opened  the  door  into  the 
dining-room,  and  went  in.  Adrian  was  sitting  at  the  table, 
with  his  books  before  him,  by  the  light  of  a  pine  torch.  Georg 
asked  him  where  his  mother  was. 

"  She  is  spinning  in  the  parlor,"  said  the  boy. 

"  Go  and  fetch  her;  I  have  something  of  importance  to  tell 
her. " 

Adrian  went,  and  returned  with  the  message  that  Jonker 
Georg  might  wait  in  his  father's  sitting-room. 

"  Where  is  Barbara?"  asked  Georg. 

"  "With  Elizabeth."  The  baron  nodded,  and  took  to  pacing 
up  and  down  by  the  long  table,  thinking  to  himself:  "  I  can 
not  go  thus;  I  must  speak  out  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart. 
Once,  only  once  more,  I  will  hear  her  tell  me  that  she  loves 
me.  I  will — I  will.  It  may  be  dishonorable — it  may  be  base; 
I  will  atone  for  it — atone  for  it  with  my  life."  While  the 
young  man  walked  about  the  room,  Adrian  was  packing  his 
books  together,  and  could  not  help  exclaiming: 

"  Why,  Jonker,  how  badly  you  look  to-day!  It  is  enough 
to  frighten  one.  Mother  is  in  the  next  room;  I  hear  the  tin- 
der-box snap;  she  is  getting  a  light." 

"  Have  you  time  for  a  message?"  asked  Georg. 

"  Yes;  I  have  done." 

"  Then  run  to  Wilhelm  Corneliussohn,  and  tell  him  every- 
thing is  settled.  We  are  to  meet  at  nine — punctually  at 
nine." 

"  At  the  inn?"  asked  the  lad. 
"  No,  no;  he  knows;  only  make  haste." 
Adrian  was  on  the  point  of  starting,  but  Georg  beckoned 
him  to  come  close,  and  asked  him  in  a  whisper:. 
"  Can  you  hold  your  tongue?" 
"  As  mute  as  a  fish. " 

"  I  am  going  to  slip  out  of  the  town  to-night,  and  perhaps  I 
may  never  come  back." 

"  You,  Jonker — to-night?"  asked  the  boy. 

"  Yes,  dear  fellow.  Come  here  and  give  me  a  kiss  at  part- 
ing. Keep  this  little  ring  as  a  remembrance. "  The  boy  gave 
and  took  the  kiss,  and  slipped  the  ring  on  to  his  finger;  and 
his  eyes  were  full  of  tears  as  he  said: 

"  And  you  really  mean  it?    Yes;  we  are  hungry  here!    God 

knows  I  would  go  with  you,  if  it  were  not  for  Elizabeth  and 
mother.     When  will  you  come  back?" 


210  THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE. 

"  "Who  can  tell,  my  lad?  Do  not  forget  to  love  me,  do  yon 
hear? — to  love  me  truly!     Now,  be  on"  with  you." 

Adrian  Hew  down-stairs,  and  in  another  minute  Georg  was 
standing  in  Peter's  room,  face  to  face  with  Maria.  The  shut- 
ters were  closed,  and  there  were  two  tapers  burning  in  the 
branched  candlestick  on  the  table. 

"  Thank  you  a  thousand  times  for  coming  to  speak  to  me," 
said  he.  "  You  passed  judgment  on  me  yesterday,  and  to- 
day—" 

"  I  know  what  has  brought  you  here,"  she  replied,  gently. 
"  Henrika  has  bade  me  good-bye,  and  I  can  not  detain  her. 
She  does  not  wish  that  you  should  accompany  her,  but  Master 
Wilhelm  has  told  me  about  it.  You  are  come  to  say  fare- 
well." 

"  Yes,  Maria — farewell  forever." 

"  Nay,  please  God,  we  shall  meet  again.  I  know  what  it  is 
that  is  driving  you  out  of  this  jjlace.  You  are  right,  Georg, 
good  and  noble;  and  if  anything  can  soften  a  parting  it  is  that 
we  may  remember  each  other  without  a  pang  of  bitterness. 
Y'ou  will  not  forget  us,  and — as  you  well  know — your  memory 
will  live  here  among  great  and  small — in  all  your  hearts — " 

"  And  in  yours  too,  Maria?" 

"  In  mine  too." 

"  Cling  to  it,  cherish  it;  and  when  this  hapless  dust,  which 
to-day  still  lives,  and  breathes,  and  loves,  and  is  desperate,  has 
been  swe])t  out  of  your  path  by  the  whirlwind,  grant  it  still  a 
green  spot  in  your  remembrance." 

Maria  shuddered,  for  deep  desperation  indeed  glowed  in  the 
dull  fire  of  his  eyes,  and  full  of  agonizing  fears  she  cried  out: 

"  What  are  you  planning,  Georg — for  Christ's  sake,  what 
are  you  thinking  of  doing?" 

"  Nothing  wrong,"  he  said,  dully.  "  Nothing  violent. 
But  we  birds  do  not  all  pipe  the  same  tune.  Happy  is  he  who 
slips  on  through  the  3rears  with  tepid  blood  and  lukewarm  joys; 
but  my  blood  courses  in  hotter  haste,  and  when  my  soul  has 
once  clasped  an  idea  with  its  poulp-like  arms,  it  can  never 
relinquish  its  hold  but  in  death.  I  am  going,  never  to  return; 
but  you  and  my  devotion  I  carry  with  me  to  the  battle,  to  the 
grave.     I  am  going — I  am  going — " 

But,  Georg,  we  must  not  part  thus — " 

Then  bid  me  stay.  Only  say:  'Here  am  I,  and  T  pity 
you.'  But  do  not  encourage  the  abjecl  wretch  whom  yen  have 
blinded,  to  look  up,  to  open  his  eyes,  and  rejoice  in  the  beauties 
of  creation!    And  you  stand  there,  trembling,  hesitating,  with- 


((  mi 


THE    P.lKtiOM  ASTER'S   WIFE.  211 

oat  a  word  for  the  man  who  loves  you,  for  the  man — the 
man — " 

The  young  man's  voice  was  choked  with  emotion;  he 
pressed  his  hand  to  his  forehead  and  groaned.  Then  he 
seemed  to  collect  his  thoughts,  and  he  went  on,  in  a  low  and 
sorrowful  voice:  "  I  am  here  to  tell  you  once  more  how  my 
heart  is  unchangeably  fixed  on  this  one  thought.  I  meant  to 
have  spoken  words  of  sweeter  meaning,  hut  pain  and  regret 
infuse  their  bitterness  into  everything  I  can  say.  Take  this 
little  book;  I  have  written  it  all — everything  that  my  heart 
longed  to  utter,  and  for  which  ordinary  words  have  no  lan- 
guage— in  the  form  of  verse.  Read  these  pages,  Maria,  and  if 
they  can  rouse  any  response  in  your  soul,  keep  them.  The 
honeysuckle  in  your  garden  needs  a  trellis  to  help  it  to  grow 
and  blossom,  and  these  poor  songs  may  serve  as  a  supjjort 
round  which  your  remembrance  of  me,  when  I  am  gone,  may 
clasp  its  tendrils  and  fondly  cling.  Eead — yes,  read,  and  then 
once  mory  say  you  love  me,  or  else  send  me  away  from  you." 

''  Give  it  me,"  Maria  said;  and  she  opened  the  book  with  a 
trembling  hand. 

He  drew  back  a  little  way,  but  his  breath  came  quickly  and 
his  eyes  followed  hers  as  she  read. 

She  began  with  the  last  song  but  one.  He  had  written  it 
shortly  after  he  had  come  in  the  evening  before,  and  it  ran  as 
follows: 

"  Joyous  bustle  fills  the  town, 

In  the  windows  lights  are  gleaming, 
Through  the  highways  to  and  fro 

Happy,  busy  crowds  are  streaming. 
Could  such  joys  but  last  forever! 

Last  forever?    Brief  delight! 
Dead  the  lights — love  finds  no  answer — 

Past  and  gone  that  festal  night." 

The  last  poem  of  all  Georg  had  hastily  written  during  the 
night,  and  in  it  he  bewailed  his  hapless  fate.  Once — at  least 
once — she  must  and  should  hear  him;  he  would  write  an  ap- 
peal  ^uch  as  she  had  never  listened  to  before.  8he  had  read 
the  first  set  of  verses  in  silence  with  her  eyes  only,  but  now  she 
moved  her  lips  and  read  quickly  and  in  a  low  voice,  but  still 
audibly: 

"  Now  should  it  sound  like  solemn  thunder  pealing, 
Then  soft  as  flutes  through  sweet  May  moonlight  stealing; 
Anon  storm  Heaven  in  jubilant  elation 
Or  sob  like  Philomel  in  desolation. 
And  this  my  song,  perennial  and  undying, 
Shall  rouse  mankind  to  listen  to  my  sighing, 


2V2  THE    BTTBGOMASTEB'S   WIFE. 

Resound  through  earth's  deep  caves  and  secret  places, 
Beyond  our  grosser  air  through  skyey  spaces, 
Throughout  the  universe— an  invocation 
Waking  weird  echoes  from  the  whole  creation. 
Those  echoes,  swelling  to  a  suppliant  choir, 
Shall  pray  thee  hear  and  answer  my  desire. 
Ev'n  when  the  ivy  o'er  my  grave  is  creeping, 
That  magic  strain*  of  Binging,  sighing,  weeping, 
Shall  still  be  heard,  and  pierce  the  tomb's  dark  portal, 
A  mighty  song,  insistant  and  immortal." 

Maria  read  on;  her  heart  beat  faster  and  her  breath  came 
quicker,  and  by  the  time  she  had  got  to  the  last  words  tears 
had  started  to  her  eyes,  and  she  had  lifted  the  book  with  both 
hands,  prepared  to  fling  it  from  her  and  throw  her  arms  round 
the  writer's  neck.  He,  meanwhile,  had  stood  in  front  of  her 
as  if  spellbound,  and  listened  with  ravishment  to  the  soaring 
flight  of  his  own  verse.  Quivering  with  passion,  he  yet  con- 
trolled himself  till  she  had  read  the  last  word,  raised  her  eves 
from  the  page,  and  held  the  book  aloft;  but  then  all  his  self- 
command  was  blown  to  the  winds,  and  he  vehemently  ex- 
claimed: "Maria,  sweetest  wifely  woman  —  the   only  wom- 


an—" 


Wifely?"  The  word  found  a  questioning,  warning  echo 
in  her  own  soul,  and  she  felt  as  if  an  icy  cold  hand  had  been 
laid  upon  her  heart.  The  intoxicating  fumes  suddenly  lifted, 
and  as  she  saw  him  before  her,  his  arms  open,  his  eyes  full  of 
flame,  she  shrunk  back,  sobered  to  an  intense  horror  of  him 
and  of  herself.  Instead  of  tossing  the  book  aside  and  rushing 
to  meet  him,  she  tore  it  across  and  said,  proudly:  "  Here  are 
your  verses,  Jonker  von  Dornburg;  take  them  with  you.'3 
And  she  added  in  gentler  tones,  but  with  a  dignity  that  she 
recovered  with  some  effort:  "I  can  remember  you  without 
this  book.  We  both  have  let  ourselves  dream;  now  let  us 
wake!  Farewell.  I  will  pray  God  to  protect  you.  Give  me 
your  hand,  Georg,  and  when  you  return  we  shall  welcome  you 
to  our  house  as  a  friend." 

As  she  spoke,  she  turned  away  and  merely  assented  with  a 
silent  bow,  when  he  cried  after  her: 

"  It  is  all  over — all  over!" 


CHAPTER   XXXI. 

Geoeg  went  down  the  stairs  like  a  man  who  had  been 
stunned:  the  two  halves  of  the  note-book,  in  which,  ever  since 
the  wedding  at  Delft,  he  had  been  in  the  habit  of  writing 
verses  addressed  to  Maria,  lay  in  his  hand.     A  bright  blaze  in 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S    "WIFE.  213 

the  kitchen  lighted  up  the  hall;  he  followed  its  guidance,  and 
before  he  even  returned  Barbara's  friendly  greeting,  he  went 
straight  up  to  the  hearth  and  flung  the  leaves  which  contained 
the  pure  and  fragrant  emanations  of  a  sweet  and  tender  blos- 
som into  the  flames.  "  Oho,  Jonker!"  cried  the  widow.  "  A 
quick  fire  is  not  good  for  all  meat;  what  are  you  burning 
there?" 

;'  Only  some  nonsense — some  papers,"  he  said.  "  Be  easy; 
the  worst  they  could  do  would  be  to  weep  and  put  the  fire  out. 
Now  they  are  ashes.  There  go  the  sparks  in  procession 
through  the  charred,  black  paper.  How  pretty!  they  come 
out  aud  vanish  again  like  a  funeral  train  with  torches  in  a 
pitch-black  night.  Sleep  soundly,  poor  children — sleep  in 
peace,  poor  little  poems.  Look,  mother,  they  curl  up  and 
Writhe  almost  convulsively,  as  if  it  hurt  them  to  be  burned.-" 

'  What  things  to  say!"  interrupted  the  widow,  as  she  poked 
the  burned  volume  into  the  fire  with  the  tongs,  and  then  she 
added,  as  she  tapped  her  forehead :  ' '  Many  a  time  have  I  felt 
truly  sorry  for  you.  High-sounding  words,  like  those  of  the 
Psalms,  are  not  for  every-day  use  and  our  kitchen.  If  you 
belonged  to  me  you  would  often  hear  a  piece  of  my  mind. 
Remember  the  proverb,  '  Slow  and  steady  wins  the  race.'  " 

'  Good  advice  to  a  traveler,"  said  Georg,  holding  out  his 
hand  to  Barbara.  "Farewell,  good  mother.  I  can  not  stay 
here  any  longer:  in  half  an  hour's  time  I  shall  have  turned 
my  back  on  this  town." 

"  You  are  going  then!  Well,  as  you  think  best;  or  are  you 
taking  Mistress  Henrika  in  tow?  A  noble's  son  and  a  noble's 
daughter!  Like  to  like;  but  no,  there  has  never  been  any- 
thing between  you  two.  She  has  a  good  heart,  but  I  could 
wish  you  something  better  than  a  papistical  turncoat. " 

"  Then  Henrika  has  told  you — " 

"  She  has  this  moment  left  me.  Well,  well,  she  has  her 
own  kith  and  kin  out  there;  and  for  us  it  is  difficult  to  divide 
a  plurn  into  a  dozen  mouthf  uls.  I  wished  her  God-speed  with 
sincere  good  will — but  you,  Georg,  you — " 

"  I  shall  conduct  her  out  of  the  town,  and  then — you  can 
not  blame  me — I  shall  go  over  to  the  Gueux. " 

"  To  the  Gueux!  That  is  a  very  different  thing;  that  is 
right.  There  you  will  be  in  the  very  place  for  you.  Boldly 
conceived,  Jouker,  and  bravely  planned!  Give  me  your  hand; 
and  if  you  should  meet  my  boy — he  commands  a  ship  of  his 
own.  Good  heavens!  what  a  good  idea — you  can  wait  a  min- 
ute longer?  Trautchen,  come  here.  Upstairs  in  the  painted 
chest  are  the  worsted  hose  1  knitted  for  him.     Make  haste  and 


214  THE    BCUQOMASTER'S   WIFE. 

fetch  ih  in.     Be  may  want  them  in  the  wet  autumn  weather 
and  ;ii  sea.     You  will  take  them  for  me?" 

"  Willi  all  tin1  pleasure  in  life:  ami  let  me  thank  you  for  all 
your  kindness;  you  have  been  like  a  dear,  kind  mother  to 
inc."  He  took  the  willow's  hand,  and  neither  of  Ihem  at- 
n  mpted  to  conceal  how  dear  each  was  to  the  other,  and  how 
bitter  the  parting  was.  The  maid-servant  had  given  him  the 
knitted  hose,  and  as  I  hey  said  good-bye,  many  tears  ran  down 
on  lo  them,  and  Barbara,  remarking  that  they  were  wet  before 
they  were  rained  on,  shook  them  dry  and  gave  them  to  the 
Jonker. 

The  night  was  dark,  hut  still  and  even  sultry;  the  travelers 
were  met  at  the  Hoogewoerde  Gate  by  Van  Duivenvoorde;  an 
old  corporal  of  the  watch  carried  a  lantern  before  him  and 
opened  the  gate.  The  captain  embraced  his  brave  and  valued 
comrade,  Uornburg;  a  very  few  words  of  farewell  or  God- 
Bpeed  were  spoken  under  the  wTalls  of  the  fortified  gate-way, 
and  the  three  refugees  were  outside  and  free. 

For  some  time  they  walked  in  silence  through  the  darkness: 
Wilhelni  knew  the  way  and  went  first;  the  baron  kept  close  to 
Henrika  s  side.  All  was  silent  excepting  that  from  time  to 
time  they  heard  a  wTord  of  command,  from  the  ramparts,  the 
toll  of  the  tower-clock,  or  the  bark  of  a  dog.  Henrika  had 
recognized  Georg  by  the  light  of  the  lantern,  and  when,  pres- 
ently, Wilhelni  stopped  to  ascertain  whether  there  was  any 
water  in  the  ditches  across  which  he  wanted  to  lead  his  com- 
panions, she  observed  in  a  low  voice: 

"  I  did  not  count  upon  your  escort,  Jonker." 

"  I  knew  that,  but  1,  like  you,  wished  to  leave  the  town.'3 

"  And  you  will  have  the  benefit  of  our  knowledge  of  the 
pass-word.     Well,  then,  remain  with  us." 

"  Until  I  see  you  in  safety,  mistress." 

"  The  walls  of  Leyden  are  already  standing  between  you  and 
the  danger  from  which  you  arc  Hying. " 

"  I  do  not  understand  you." 

"  So  much  the  better."  • 

Wilhelm  turned  round  and  begged  his  companions  to  be 
6ilent.  Without  another  word  they  went  on  until  they  reached 
the  high-road,  which  they  had  hitherto  avoided,  close  in  front 
of  the  Spanish  camp. 

A  Spanish  sentinel  challenged  them.  "Lepanto,"  said 
Wilhelni,  and  without  let  or  hindrance  they  went  forward  into 
the  camp. 

A  coach  with  four  horses,  a  sort  of  ark  hung  between  two 
very  small  fore  wheels  and  two  gigantic  hind  wheels,  went  slow- 


THE    BURGOMASTER^   WIFE.  215 

ly  past  them.  It  was  conveying  Mistress  Magdalena  Moons, 
the  daughter  of  a  highly  respected  family  of  Dutch— all  high 
in  office — back  to  the  Hague,  from  paying  a  visit  to  her  ad- 
mirer, the  commander-in-chief,  who  subsequently  became  her 
husband.  Indeed,  there  were  plenty  of  women  hi  the  camp, 
so  Henrika's  presence  there  attracted  no  attention.  A  few 
•wretched  camp  followers  sat  at  the  doors  of  the  tents  mending 
the  soldiers'  clothes,  while  outside  one  of  the  officer's  tents 
were  a  party  of  over-dressed  hussies  throwing  dice  and  drinking 
with  their  comj^anions.  Behind  the  commander's  quarters 
there  was  a  bright,  illuminated  spot,  where,  nnder  a  canopy, 
several  confessionals  and  an  altar  had  been  erected.  On  the 
altar  stood  lighted  tapers,  and  over  it  swung  a  silver  lam]), 
while  a  steady  stream  of  dark  figures  flowed  to  the  confes- 
sionals— Spanish  warriors,  whose  figures  could  be  distinguished 
as  the  light  of  the  tapers  fell  on  their  helmets  and  breast- 
plates. 

The  low  chanting  of  the  priests  and  the  murmur  of  peni- 
tents and  worshipers  were  drowned  by  the  loud  tones  of  the 
boozing  German  mercenaries,  the  neighing  and  stamping  of 
chargers,  and  the  laughter  of  the  officers  and  their  women; 
but  the  shrill  tinkle  of  the  mass-bell  was  heard  now  and  again 
in  brisk  vibration  above  the  hubbub  of  the  camp.  When  they 
reached  the  village,  the  pass-word  once  more  worked  its  charm, 
and  they  gained  the  first  houses  unchecked. 

"  Here  we  are,"  said  TVilhelm,  with  a  sigh  of  relief.  "  Take 
advantage  of  the  darkness,  Jonker,  and  go  on  at  once  till  you 
have  left  the  Spaniards  behind  you." 

"  No,  my  friend,  you  are  still  among  them,  and  I  have  a 
fancy  to  share  your  danger.  I  will  return  with  you  to  Leyden, 
and  then  try  to  reach  JJelft;  meanwhile,  I  will  stay  here  and 
watch  and  warn  you  in  case  of  need. " 

"  Nay,  let  us  part  here,  Georg;  it  may  be  hours  before  I  re- 
turn. " 

* 

I  have  time — horribly  too  much  time.  I  will  wait.  There, 
the  door  is  opened."  And  he  laid  his  hand  on  his  sword,  but 
he  soon  left  hold  of  it,  for  it  was  Belotti  who  came  out  to  them 
and  greeted  his  signorina.  Henrika  followed  him  into  the 
house,  and  there  stood  talking  with  him  in  low  tones  till  Georg 
spoke  to  her  once  more. 

"  Mistress  van  Hoogstraten,"  he  said,  "  I  may  surely  hope 
that  you  will  at  any  rate  bid  me  God-speed?" 

"  Farewell,  Baron  van  Dornburg,"  she  replied,  coolly;  but 
she  went  a  step  toward  him.  Georg,  too,  went  forward  to 
meet  her,  and  held  out  his  hand.     She  hesitated  a  moment, 


816  THE    Bl  li(iO.M ASTER'S  WIFE. 

then  she  gave  him  hers,  and  asked,  so  softly  that  he  only  could 
hear  her: 

"  You  love  Maria?" 

"What!  am  I  to  confess?" 

"  Do  not  refuse  me  this  Last  and  first  request.  If  you  know 
how  to  be  generous,  answer  me  frankly;  I  will  not  betray  you. 
Do  you  love  Dame  van  der  Werff?" 

"  5Tes,  mistress. " 

llenrika  drew  a  deep  breath,  and  asked  again: 

"  And  you  are  rushing  out  into  the  storm  in  order  to  forget 
her?" 

"  No,  madame." 

"  Tell  me,  then,  why  you  have  come  out  of  Leyden?" 

"  To  meet  the  death  that  becomes  a  soldier." 

She  went  close  ujj  to  him,  and  exclaimed,  in  a  tone  of  scorn 
that  cut  Georg  to  the  heart: 

"  And  you  too!  It  falls  upon  all — knights  and  maidens, 
wives  and  widows — it  spares  none.  Sorrow,  and  still  no  end 
of  sorrow.  Farewell,  Georg.  We  may  laugh  at  each  other, 
or  weep  for  each  other,  just  as  suits  our  mood.  A  heart  pierced 
with  seven  swords— a  picture  full  of  meaning.  Let  us  each 
wear  a  blood-red  scarf  instead  of  green  and  blue.  Give  me 
your  hand  once  more,  and  God  be  with  you!" 

Henrika  beckoned  to  the  musician,  and  together  they  fol- 
lowed Belotti  up  the  steep  and  narrow  stair. 

Wilhelm  was  then  let  in  a  small  room,  beyond  which  was  a 
second,  in  which  a  handsome  little  boy  of  three  was  playing 
with  an  old  Italian  nurse.  In  a  third  room,  which,  like  all 
the  others  in  the  farm-house,  was  so  low  that  a  tall  man  could 
hardly  stand  upright  in  it,  Henrika's  sister  was  lying  on  a 
large  bed,  above  which  a  canopy,  after  the  fashion  of  a  bal- 
dachino,  was  supported  on  four  little  pillars.  Pine  torches 
shed  a  feeble  light  in  the  large  cavernous  room.  Their  orange- 
colored  flare  was  lost  under  the  canopy,  and  the  sufferer's  face 
was  hardly  recognizable.  Henrika  just  nodded  to  the  Italian 
woman  and  the  child  as  she  passed  through  the  room,  and 
hastening  into  the  one  beyond,  flew  up  to  the  bed,  and,  falling 
on  her  knees,  clasped  her  sister  jaassionately  hi  her  arms  and 
covered  her  cheeks  with  fervent  kisses. 

She  could  say  nothing  but  "  Anna,  Anna!"  and  the  sicV 
woman  had  no  words  but  "  Henrika."  This  lasted  for  some 
minutes;  then  the  girl  sprung  to  her  feet,  took  down  a  pine 
torch,  and  held  it  so  us  to  light  up  her  long-lost  sister's  feat- 
iihcs.  How  pale  and  thin  they  were!  But  she  was  still  beau- 
tif  ul-^-still  the  same  as  ever.     A  strange  mixture  of  pleasure 


THE  •  BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE.  217 

and  paiu  took  jwssession  of  Heurika;  all  that  had  been  hard 
and  cold  in  her  nature  seemed  to  warm  and  melt,  and  the  re- 
lief of  tears,  which  she  had  not  known  for  many  a  long  day, 
came  back  to  her  iu  that  hour. 

By  degrees  this  spring-tide  of  feeling  began  to  ebb,  and 
the  confusion  of  loving  appeals  and  broken  phrases  settled 
down  into  orderly  question  and  answer.  When  Anna  was  in- 
formed that  the  musician  Wilhelm  had  escorted  her  sister  she 
expressed  a  wish  to  see  him,  and  as  he  came  up  to  her  bed- 
side she  held  out  both  hands  to  welcome  him. 

"  Ah,  master,  master!"  she  exclaimed,  "  in  what  a  state  do 
you  see  me  once  more!  Henrika,  this  is  the  best  of  men,  the 
only  disinterested  friend  I  have  ever  known  hi  this  world. " 

How  painfully  agitating  were  the  next  few  hours!  Belotti 
and  the  old  Italian  nurse  would  now  and  again  take  up  the  tale 
to  relieve  their  suffering,  mistress,  and  by  degrees  Henrika  and 
Wilhelm  had  before  them  the  complete  picture  of  a  life  that 
had  been  disastrously  wrecked,  though  worthy  of  a  better 
fate.  Fear,  anxiety,  and  agonizing  doubt  had  tormented 
Anna  from  the  very  first  day  when  she  had  become  the  wife 
of  the  reckless  adventurer  and  gambler  who  had  succeededin 
dazzling  her  young  and  inexperienced  heart.  To  a  brief  in- 
toxication had  succeeded  a  terrible  sobering  and  reaction.  Her 
first  child  was  still  an  infant  at  the  breast  when  Don  Luis,  with 
unheard-of  baseness,  desired  her  to  go  with  him  to  the  house 
of  a  certain  notorious  Marchesa,  in  whose  disreputable  gam- 
bling salon  he  had  for  months  spent  evening  after  evening  and 
night  after  night.  She  had  indignantly  refused  to  comply,  but 
he  had  coolly  insisted  and  threatened.  Then  the  blood  of  the 
Hoogstratens  had  asserted  itself,  and  she  had  fled  at  once,  and 
without  a  word  of  parting,  to  Lugano.  There  her  child  had 
found  a  home  with  an  old  serving-woman  of  her  mother's, 
while  she  had  gone  to  Eome,  not  as  an  adventuress,  but  firmly 
bent  on  a  worthy  aim.  She  purposed  to  cultivate  her  musical 
talents  in  the  new  school  of  Palestrina  and  Nannhii,  and  so 
acquire  the  power  of  bringing  up  her  boy  by  the  exercise  of 
her  art,  independently  of  his  father  and  of  her  own  family, 
who  had  never  troubled  themselves  as  to  her  fate.  She  was 
venturing  everything;  still  a  definite  hope  lay  before  her,  for 
an  eminent  prelate,  a  great  patron  of  music,  to  whom  she  had 
letters  of  introduction  from  Brussels,  and  who  knew  her  voice, 
had  promised  to  procure  for  her,  when  she  should  return,  an 
appointment  to  teach  singing  in  a  convent  for  the  education  of 
young  girls  of  rank  at  Milan.     This  appointment  was  in  his 


218  THE    BlKOOMAsTK.l's  WIFE. 

hands,  and  the  worthy  pries!  also  tools  care,  before  she  set  out, 
to  provide  her  with  letters  to  his  friends  in  the  Eternal  City. 

Her  abrupt  departure  from  Rome  had  been  prompted  by 
hearing  that  Don  Luis  had  found  their  boy  and  carried  him 
off.  She  could  not  part  with  her  child,  and  not  finding  her 
husband  in  Milan,  she  followed  his  track,  and  at  lasi  joined 
him  in  Naples.  D'Aviia  restored  the  boy  to  her,  but  not  till 
she  had  declared  herself  willing  to  surrender  to  him  the  allow- 
ance which  she  was  still  receiving  from  her  aunt.  The  long 
journey,  with  its  agitations  and  hardships,  had  exhausted  her 
strength,  and  she  returned  to  Milan,  crushed  and  ill. 

Her  patron  had  taken  care  to  keep  the  appointment  as  sing- 
ing mistress  open  for  her;  but  she  could  fulfill  the  duties  which 
the  lady  superintendent  of  the  convent  required  of  her  only  for 
a  very  short  time;  her  illness  rapidly  increased,  and  a  bad 
cough  spoiled  her  voice.  Then  she  went  back  to  Lugano  once 
more,  and  here  tried  to  indemnify  her  poor  and  honest  friends 
by  selling  her  jewels;  but  ere  long  the  generous  and  high- 
minded  artist  was  reduced  to  dependence  on  the  charity  of  a 
waiting-woman.  Until  about  six  months  previously  she  had 
not  suffered  actual  want;  but  her  good  nurse's  husband  had 
died,  and  they  lived  in  anxious  care  for  their  daily  bread;  then 
a  mother's  love  had  broken  Anna's  pride — she  wrote  to  her 
father  the  letter  of  a  penitent  daughter  crushed  by  misery,  but 
she  received  no  answer.  At  last  the  poor  creature,  ill  herself 
and  perishing  with  her  child,  had  stooped  to  the  extreme  of 
humiliation;  she  had  implored  the  man,  whom  she  could  never 
think  of  but  with  horror  and  contempt,  not  to  leave  his  child 
to  grow  up  a  beggar.  The  letter  containing  this  cry  of  despair 
had  reached  l)on  Luis  in  Holland  very  shortly  before  his 
death.  From  him  no  help  was  to  be  hoped  for;  but  Belotti 
had  come,  and  now  at  least  she  was  at  home;  her  sister  and 
her  friend  were  standing  by  her  side,  and  Henrika  even  en- 
couraged her  to  hope  for  her  father's  forgiveness. 

It  was  past  midnight,  and  Georg  was  still  waiting  below  for 
his  comrade's  return.  The  noise  and  bustle  of  the  camp  were 
beginning  to  die  away,  and  the  lantern  which  had  lighted  up 
the  large  lower  room  of  the  farm-house  was  now  burning  low. 
The  German  had  no  fellow-occupant  but  instruments  of  tilth, 
harness,  and  stores  of  vegetables  and  grain  piled  up  against 
the  walls,  and  he  was  in  no  mood  even  to  cast  a  glance  round 
him  at  these  various  objects.  There  was  no  gleam  of  pleasure 
for  him  far  or  near;  he  felt  humiliated,  guilty,  weary  of  his 
life.  His  self-respect  lay  in  the  dust,  and  be  saw  before  him 
a  gray  and  joyless  future,  full  of  bitterness  and  vain  regret. 


THE    BURGOMASTER* S   "WIFE.  219 

He  had  nothing  left  to  wish  for  but  an  early  end  to  it  all;  and 
yet,  now  and  then,  a  smiling  picture  of  his  distant  home  rose 
before  his  fancy,  but  it  vanished  as  he  remembered  the  digni- 
fied figure  of  the  burgomaster,  his  own  horrible  weakness  of 
purpose,  and  the  repulse  he  had  suffered.  He  was  full  of  an 
intense  spite  against  himself,  and  longed  with  vehement  im- 
patience for  the  rattle  of  arms,  the  thunder  of  cannon,  arid  the 
mad  struggle  of  man  to  man.  The  time  slipped  by  without 
his  heeding  it,  but  presently  his  famished  vitals  began  to  crave 
agonizingly  for  food.  There  were  turnips  in  plenty  lying  by 
the  wall,  and  he  ate  one  after  another  till  he  began  to  enjoy  a 
long-forgotten  sense  of  repletion.  Then  he  sat  down  on  the 
dough-trough  to  consider  how  he  might  succeed  in  making  his 
way  to  the  Gueux.  He  knew  neither  how  nor  where  to  find 
them,  but  woe  to  the  man  who  should  try  to  oppose  him !  His 
arm  and  sword  were  strong,  and  there  were  Spaniards  enough 
at  hand  who  might  happen  to  feel  them  both.  His  impatience 
was  becoming  intolerable,  and  it  was  a  welcome  diversion  when 
he  heard  steps  approaching,  and  a  man  entered  the  house-place. 
He  had  set  his  back  against  the  wall,  holding  his  sword  with 
his  arms  crossed,  and  he  now  shouted  a  loud  "  Halt!"  to  the 
late  comer.  He,  on  his  part,  drew  his  sword,  and  when  Georg 
asked  him,  in  imperious  tones,  what  he  wanted  there,  he  an- 
swered, in  a  youthful  voice,  but  with  pride  and  determination: 

"  I  might  ask  you  that!  I  am  at  home  here  in  my  father's 
house. " 

"  Ah!"  exclaimed  Dornburg,  smiling,  for  by  the  dim  light 
of  the  lantern  he  had  recognized  the  speaker.  "  If  you  are 
young  Matenesse  van  Wibisima  you  have  nothing  to  fear  from 
me." 


1  am;  but  what  brings  you  out  here  to-night,  sword  in 
hand,  on  our  premises?" 

"lam  warming  the  wall  for  my  own  pleasure — or  if  you 
want  to  know  the  truth,  I  am  on  guard. " 

"  In  our  house?" 

"  Yes,  Jonker.  There  is  some  one  upstairs  with  your  cous- 
in who  has  no  wish  to  be  surprised  by  the  Spaniards.  But  you 
go  up  in  peace;  I  have  heard  from  Captain  van  Duivenvoorde 
what  a  brave  youth  you  are." 

"From  War mond!"  exclaimed  Nicolas,  excitedly.  "Tell 
me  what  brings  you  here  and  who  you  are." 

"  A  soldier  in  the  cause  of  freedom— a  German,  Georg  von 
Dornburg." 

"Oh!  wait  here  awhile,  pray.  I  will  return  quite  sooii. 
Do  you  know  whether  Mistress  van  Hoogstrulen — " 


220  THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE. 

"She  is  up  there,"  replied  Georg,  pointing  upward. 
Nicolas  new  upstairs  with  a  few  long  strides,  and  culling  hit 
cousin,  told  her  in  hot  haste  that  her  father  had  had  a  had  fall 
from  his  horse  out  hunting,  and  was  lying  much  hurt.  He 
had  broken  out  in  furious  language  when  Nicolas  had  first 
spoken  to  him  of  Anna,  but  presently  had  of  his  own  accord 
asked  him  to  tell  all  he  knew  of  her,  and  had  even  attempted 
to  come  from  his  bed  to  see  her.  He  might  actually  have  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  up,  but  his  strength  had  failed  him.  If  his 
father  could  come  to  see  her  next  day,  she  might  tell  him  that 
she  craved  to  be  forgiven;  her  father  was  quite  ready  to  do 
what  he  considered  his  duty  in  the  matter. 

Nicolas  evaded  all  Henrika's  questions,  and  only  inquired 
briefly  as  to  Anna's  health  and  about  the  friend  from  Leyden 
of  whom  Georg  had  spoken.  AVhen  he  heard  it  was  the 
organist,  he  entreated  her  to  warn  him  to  return  to  the  town 
in  good  time  and  under  his  escort;  then  he  took  a  hasty  leave 
and  ran  down-stairs  again. 

Wilhelm  very  soon  joined  him,  and  Henrika  was  coming 
down  with  him  to  see  Georg  once  more,  but  no  sooner  did  she 
hear  his  voice  than  she  turned  defiantly  on  her  heel  and  re- 
turned to  her  sister. 

The  musician  found  the  baron  and  Nicolas  in  eager  colloquy. 
'  Nay,  nay,"  Dornburg  was  saying,  feelingly,  "  my  way  can 
never  be  yours." 

"  I  am  eighteen  now." 

'  It  is  not  that,  it  is  not  that.  I  have  seen  you  behave 
bravely  before  now,  and  your  will  is  as  resolute  as  a  man's; 
but  life  has  flowers  in  store  for  you  yet,  please  God,  and  sweet 
ones  too.  You  are  just  setting  out,  and  your  sword  will  win 
you  fame  and  good  fortune  yet  for  yourself  and  your  country 
in  freedom  and  contentment;  while  I,  on  the  other  hand,  I — 
give  me  your  hand  and  promise  solemnly — " 

"  My  hand  is  yours,  but  I  can  promise  nothing.  With  yon 
or  without  you  I  am  going  to  join  the  Gueux. " 

Georg  looked  in  the  brave  lad's  face  with  kindly  approba- 
tion. 


"  Is  your  mother  alive?"  he  said,  gently. 
"No,  Jonker." 


Come  along  men.  We  shall  each  find  what  we  look  for 
among  the  Gueux." 

Nicolas  grasped  the  hand  that  Georg  held  out  to  him,  and 
Wilhelm,  going  up  to  the  young  fellow.' said: 

"  I  expected  no  less  of  you  after  the  scenes  by  the  church 
and  in  Quatgelat's  tavern." 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE.  221 

"It  was  you  who  first  opened  my  eyes,"  cried  Nicolas. 
"  Now,  come;  we  will  go  straight  across  the  camp;  they  all 
know  me. " 

On  the  road  the  lad  kept  close  to  Georg,  and  when  the  Ger- 
man remarked  that  he  would  have  a  hard  battle  to  fight  with 
his  father,  he  replied: 

"  I  know  it,  and  it  grieves  me,  grieves  me  deeply;  but  I  can 
not  act  differently.     The  word  traitor  shall  never  cling  to  our 


name. " 


Your  cousin  Matenesse,  Seigneur  of  Riviere,  is  likewise 
devoted  to  the  good  cause. ' ' 

"  But  my  father  is  of  a  different  mind.  He  has  the  heart 
to  hope  good  things  of  the  Spaniards.  Of  the  Spaniards! — ah! 
I  have  come  to  know  them  well  these  last  few  months!  A 
brave  Leyden  lad — you  must  know  him  well  by  his  nickname 
of  Leeuw  (the  lion),  which  he  well  deserved — was  taken  pris- 
oner by  them  in  fair  fight.  I  shudder  when  I  think  of  it; 
they  hung  him  up  head  downward  and  tortured  him  to  death. 
I  was  by,  and  not  a  word  of  what  they  said  did  I  lose :  '  If  all 
Holland  could  be  treated  in  the  same  way,  the  land  and  the 
people  alike. '  That  is  what  they  wish.  And  I  hear  these 
things  every  day  of  my  life.  No  treatment  is  too  foul  for  us, 
and  the  king  feels  just  the  same  as  the  men  do.  But  some 
one  else  may  serve  a  master  who  tortures  and  scorns  us;  not 
I.  My  holy  religion  is  eternal  and  indestructible.  If  it  is 
held  in  detestation  by  many  of  the  Gueux  I  do  not  care,  if  only 
they  will  help  me  to  break  the  Spanish  fetters." 

Talking  thus,  they  traversed  the  Spanish  camp,  where  by 
this  time  all  were  sunk  in  sleep;  then  they  came  upon  a  Ger- 
man company  of  infantry  who  were  still  drinking  noisily.  At 
the  further  end  of  the  camp  a  market-dealer  and  his  wife  were 
collecting  the  remains  of  their  wares. 

Wilhelm  had  walked  in  silence  behind  his  two  companions, 
for  his  heart  was  stirred  with  deep  emotion;  pain  and  pleas- 
ure struggled  in  him  for  the  mastery,  and  he  was  intoxicated 
with  exalted  feeling;  but  in  front  of  the  market-booth  he  sud- 
denly pulled  up  and  pointed  to  some  loaves  which  were  being 
tossed  one  after  the  other  into  a  bread-box.  Hunger,  too,  was 
a  living  fact — a  too  living  and  powerful  fact — in  the  town 
yonder,  and  it  was  n<3t  surprising  that  Wilhelm  should  go  uf 
to  the  market-folk  and  buy  their  last  ham  and  all  the  loaves 
they  had  left.  Nicolas  laughed  to  see  him  carrying  the  bread 
under  his  arm,  bul  <  U  org  said: 

"  You  have  never  yet  looked  famine  in  the  face.  Junker. 
These  loaves  are  medicine  for  the  worst  sickness  known." 


Tr:  the  burgomaster's  wife. 

When  they  reached  the  gate,  <icorg  had  the  captain  roused, 
and  announced  to  him  that  Nicolas,  too,  was  for  the  future 
one  of  the  Gueux.  Duivenvoorde  wished  the  boy  God-speed, 
and  offered  him  sonic  money  that  he  might  supply  himself  in 
Delfi  with  various  necessaries  and  have  something^to  live  on 
for  a  week  or  two;  but  Nicolas  refused  his  comrades  offer,  for 
he  had  at  his  girdle  a  purse  full  of  gold  pieces.  A  jeweler  at 
the  Hague  had  given  them  to  him  yesterday  as  the  price  of  his 
aunt's  emerald  ring.  He  showed  this  treasure  to  the  captain, 
and  then  exclaimed: 

"  Now,  onward,  Jonker  von  Dornburg.  I  know  where  we 
shall  find  them,  and  you.  Captain  van  Duivenvoorde,  tell  the 
burgomaster  and  Janus  Dousa  what  has  become  of  me." 


CHAPTER  XXXII.    • 

A  week  had  gone  by  since  Henrika's  escape — seven  dread- 
ful days  of  famine.  Maria  had  heard  from  Wilhelm  that 
young  Matenesse  had  accompanied  Georg  to  join  the  Gueux; 
that  was  well.  That  turbulent  torrent  was  in  its  proper  place, 
flowing  with  the  wild,  roaring,  rushing  stream.  She  wished 
him  success,  life,  and  happiness;  but,  strange  to  say,  since  the 
moment  when  she  had  torn  his  jioems  in  twain,  her  remem- 
brance of  him  had  sunk  as  completely  into  the  background  as 
in  the  days  before  the  Spaniards  had  beleaguered  the  town 
Indeed,  after  that  crowning  victory  over  herself,  and  after 
parting  from  the  baron,  the  young  wife  had  felt  a  rjeculiar  and 
unusual  contentment  in  the  midst  of  her  sorrows  and  anx- 
ieties. She  had  judged  herself  sternly,  and  the  intrinsic  light 
of  the  purest  diamond  is  never  visible  in  all  its  beauty  till  it 
has  suffered  under  the  hand  of  the  cutter.  She  felt  thankfully 
glad  that  she  could  now  look  Peter  freely  in  the  face  and  give 
expression  to  her  love  for  him,  and  ask  his  love  in  return.  It 
is  true  that,  under  the  pressure  of  his  trouble,  he  hardly 
seemed  to  notice  her  and  her  care  for  him,  but  she  felt,  all  the 
same,  that  much  that  she  could  say  and  do  comforted  and 
pleased  him.  The  young  woman  did  not  suffer  keenly  from 
the  dearth  of  food,  while  it  told  severely  on  Barbara  and  sore- 
ly weakened  her  strong  frame.  She  would  sit  dejected  in  front 
of  the  tireless  hearth  and  empty  jtans,  and  no  longer  took  the 
trouble  to  quill  or  plait  her  deep-frilled  cap  and  ruff.  It  was 
now  Maria's  part  to  raise  her  courage,  and  to  remind  her  of 
her  son,  the  captain  of  the  Sea  Gueux,  who  might  before  long 
be  at  Leyden  with  the  relieving  forces. 

On  the  Gth  of  September   the  burgomaster's  wife  was  going 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  223 

home  from  'an  early  walk.  Autumn  mists  thickened  the  air, 
and  a  sea-breeze  drove  the  fine  damp  spray  through  the  streets. 
The  dripping  trees  had  long  since  been  stripped  of  their  leaves, 
not  by  wind  and  weather,  but  by  men,  women  and  children, 
who  had  carried  off  the  caterpillars'  food  as  vegetables  for 
their  own  pot.  In  the  Schagen  Steeg  Maria  saw  Adrian  and 
overtook  him;  the  lad  was  slouching  wearily  along,  and  count- 
ing aloud  as  he  went.  His  mother  called  to  him,  and  asked 
him  why  he  was  not  at  school,  and  what  he  was  doing. 

"  I  am  counting,"  said  he;  "I  have  got  as  far  as  nine." 

"  Nine?" 

"  Nine  bodies  I  have  met;  the  master  has  dismissed  us  from 
school  for  Magister  Dirks  is  dead,  and  to-day  we  were  but 
thirteen.     There,  they  are  bringing  another  this  way." 

Maria  drew  her  kerchief  more  closely  over  her  face,  and  went 
on.  A  tall,  narrow  house  stood  on  the  left  hand,  in  which  a 
shoemaker  lived,  a  man  of  merry  wit,  over  whose  door  hung 
two  doggerel  inscriptions.     The  first  was  as  follows: 

"  Here,  flat  below  and  round  above, 
Are  shoes  for  every  buyer; 
If  David  does  not  find  them  fit, 
Perhaps  they'll  suit  Goliath." 

And  the  other: 

"  When  Israel  walked  in  the  desert  of  yore, 
Through  forty  years'  wanderings  the  same  shoes  he  wore; 
But  if  "nowadays  we  could  make  them  as  strong, 
The  shoemaker's  trade  would  not  thrive  very  long." 

It  was  on  the  back  ridge  of  his  roof  that  we  saw  the  stork's 
nest — it  was  now  empty.  The  red-billed  visitors  did  not  usu- 
ally fly  southward  so  early  ill  the  autumn,  and  a  few  still  were 
left  in  Leyden,  standing  meditatively  on  the  roofs.  What 
could  have  become  of  the  worthy  cobbler's  favored  guests? 
Yesterday  morning  their  host,  who  was  wont,  on  their  arrival 
in  March,  to  help  to  secure  the  nest  that  brought  good  luck  to 
the  roof  on  which  it  was  built— yesterday  morning  he  had 
stolen  up  to  the  gable,  and  with  his  cross-bow  had  shot  down 
first  the  mother  bird  and  then  her  mate  as  he  flew  home.  It 
had  gone  hard  with  him  to  do  such  a  thing,  and  during  the  com- 
mission of  the  deed  his  wife  had  sat  weeping  in  the  kitchen; 
but  when  the  cravings  of  famine  are  gnawing  a  man's  vitals, 
and  when  he  sees  those  dearest  to  him  dying  of  want,  he  can 
not  stop  to  think  of  old  affections  or  future  good  fortune,  but 
seeks  some  immediate  succor.  But  the  storks  were  sacrificed 
too  late,  for  the  shoemaker's  son,  his  nearly  full-grown  ap- 


824  the  bubgomasteb's  wife. 

prentice,  had  that  night  closed  his  eyes  forever.  Loud  lamen- 
tations Eel]  on  Maria%  ear  from  the  open  shop  door,  and  Adrian 

observed : 

"  Jakoh  is  dead  and  Mabel  will  not  last  long.  This  morn- 
ing their  father  was  shouting  curses  after  me  on  account  of  my 
father.     Be  was  the  cause,  he  said,  of  everybody's  perishing. 

Is  there  no  bread  again  to-day,  mother?  Barbel  has  some  bis- 
cuit left,  and  I  feel  so  badly/  As  for  that  endless  meat,  I  can 
not  get  it  down." 

"  Perhaps  to-day  we  may  be  able  to  find  a  morsel.  But  we 
have  to  be  very  saving  with  the  bread,  child/' 

In  the  hall  of  their  own  house  they  found  a  servant  dressed 
in  black;  he  had  come  to  announce  the  death  of  the  prince's 
commissary.,  Dietrich  van  Bronkhorst.  Last  night — Sunday 
evening — the  jolague  had  cut  off  the  strong  man  in  his  prime. 

Maria  knew,  as  she  heard  of  this  terrible  loss,  that  hence- 
forth the  whole  responsibility  of  whatever  might  happen  would 
fall  on  her  husband's  shoulders.  She  had  heard,  too,  that  a 
letter  had  arrived  from  Valclez,  in  which  he  pledged  his  word 
as  a  nobleman  that  if  the  town  would  only  surrender  to  the 
king's  mercy  it  should  be  spared,  and  especially  to  giant  free 
departure  to  her  husband  with  Van  der  Does  and  the  other  in- 
stigators to  resistance.  The  Spanish  forces  should  be  with- 
drawn, and  Leyden  garrisoned  with  only  a  few  German  troops. 
He  invited  Van  der  Werff  and  the  Seigneur  of  Xordwyk  to 
Leyderdorp  as  mediators,  and  whatever  the  issue,  even  if  the 
negotiations  came  to  nothing,  he  promised  to  send  them  home 
unharmed,  under  a  safe  conduct.  Finally  Maria  knew,  too, 
that  her  husband  had  called  together,  for  this  very  day,  an  ex- 
traordinary meeting  of  the  Council,  the  law  officers,  and  all 
the  chief  men  of  the  town,  as  well  as  the  principal  citizens. 
But  none  of  this  had  come  to  her  knowledge  directly  from 
Peter  himself;  she  had  heard  it  from  the  town  clerk's  wife  and 
other  friendly  gossips. 

A  great  change  had  come  over  her  husband  in  these  last  few 
days.  He  went  and  came,  pale  and  gloomy;  in  his  own  house 
lie' kept  aloof  from  the  family,  silent,  and  consuming  himself, 
as  it  were,  in  his  own  sorrow.  When  his  wife,  obeying  the 
impulse  of  her  heart,  tried  to  speak  some  words  of  encourage- 
ment, he  dismissed  her  shortly  and  impatiently.  Night  brought 
him  no  sleep,  and  he  left  his  bed  before  dawn  to  walk  restli 
ly  up  and  down  the  house,  to  go  to  look  at  his  little  girl,  who 
could  no  longer  show  that  she  recognized  him  even  but  by  a 
feeble  smile. 

As  soou  as  Maria  reached  home  she  went  at  once  to  the 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE.  225 

child's  room,  and  there  found  Dr.  Bontius.  He  shook  his 
head  gravely  as  she  entered  the  room,  and  told  her  that  all 
must  soon  be  over  with  the  frail  little  creature.  In  the  first 
months  of  the  famine  her  digestion  had  been  utterly  under- 
mined; now  the  stomach  refused  to  do  its  work,  and  it  was 
hopeless  to  think  of  saving  her. 

"  She  must  live — she  must  not  die!"  cried  Maria,  beside  her- 
self, and  as  determined  to  be  hopeful  as  a  real  mother,  who 
can  not  conceive  of  the  possibility  that  such  a  blow  can  fall 
upon  her  as  the  loss  of  her  child,  even  when  the  little  heart 
has  already  ceased  to  beat  and  the  clear  eyes  are  dim  and  clos- 
ing. "  Lisa,  Lisa,  look  at  me.  Take  a  little  of  this  nice  milk 
— just  a  few  drops.     Tiny  Elizabeth,  you  must  not  leave  us." 

Peter  had  come  into  the  room  unobserved  and  had  heard 
her  last  words.  With  choked  pulses  he  looked  down  at  his 
darling,  and  his  broad  shoulders  shook  as  he  said  to  the  doctor 
in  husky  tones:  "  Will  she  die?" 

"  Yes,  old  friend,  I  think  so!  But  hold  up  your  head;  you 
have  still  much  left  to  you.  Van  Loo  has  lost  all  five  from 
the  plague." 

Peter  shuddered  violently;  then  he  left  the  room,  his  head 
sunk  on  his  breast,  and  without  noticing  Maria,  Bontius  .fol- 
lowed him  into  his  study  and  laid  his  hand  on  his  arm. 

"  The  scrap  of  life  that  is  left  to  us  is  being  made  bitter 
enough,  Peter,"  said  he.  "  Barbara  tells  me  they  laid  a  corpse 
at  your  door  this  morning." 

'  Yes.  As  I  went  out  the  ghastly  face  greeted  me — it  was 
that  of  a  young  lad.  The  lives  that  death  reaps  they  lay  on 
my  soul.  Whichever  way  I  look — the  dead!  whatever  I  hear 
— curses!  Have  I  the  right  to  dispose  of  so  many  lives?.  By 
day  and  by  night  I  see  nothing  before  my  eyes  but  sorrow  and. 
death — and  yet,  Lord!  Lord!  save  me  from  going  mad." 
Peter  clasped  his  hands  on  his  forehead  as  he  spoke,  and  Bon- 
tius could  find  no  word  of  consolation. 

"  And  I,"  he  exclaimed,  "  I  myself!  My  wife  and  the  little 
one  are  down  with  the  fever,  and  I  am  on  my  feet  day  and 
night — not  to  heal  the  sick  and  suffering,  but  to  see  them  die. 
All  that  we  have  learned  in  years  of  weary  toil  is  a  mere 
mockery  in  these  days,  and  yet  the  poor  creatures  sigh  hope- 
fully as  soon  as  I  feel  their  pulse.  But  things  can  not  go  on 
like  this;  it  is  impossible.  Seventy  deaths  the  day  before  yes- 
terday, eighty-six  yesterday,  and  among  them  two  of  my  own 
colleagues. ' ' 

"  And  no  jirospect  of  any  improvement?" 

"  To-morrow  the  ninety  will  be  a  hundred,  and  the  one  hun- 


TIIE    BtJJR  lER'S   WIFE. 

dred  will  soon  mount  up  to  two — three — four — five;  till  at  last 
there  will  bo  one  man  left,  and  no  one  even  to  bury  him." 

"The  plague-stricken  houses  arc  closed,  and  we  still  have 
cattle  and  horses." 

'"  But  the  contagion  exhales  through  doors  and  shutters,  and 
since  the  last,  bread  and  the  Last  malt-cake  were  given  out,  and 
men  have  nothing  left  to  live  on  but  meat,  meat,  and  nothing 
but  meat — and  onlyamorsel  of  that  each  day — sickness  breaks 
out  constantly  in  forms  never  before  heard  of,  described  in  no 
books,  and  for  which  no  cure  has  yet  been  found.  This  pour- 
ing water  into  bottomless  jars  is  too  much  for  me;  my  brain 
is  no  steadier  than  yours.     Farewell,  till  to-morrow.  " 

"  To-day,  to-day — you  will  come  to  the  meeting  at  the  town 
hall?" 

"  Not  I,  indeed!  Do  what  you  feel  you  can  answer  for:  I 
follow  my  own  calling,  which  at  present  means  closing  men's 
eyes  and  certifying  their  death.  If  this  goes  on  much  longer 
there  will  be  nothing  else  to  do  by  way  of  medical  practice." 

' '  To  put  it  plainlv :  In  my  place  you  would  treat  with  Val- 
dez." 

"  In  your  place?  Nay,  I  am  not  you;  I  am  a  leech — one 
whose  duty  it  is  to  wage  battle  against  death  and  suffering. 
Since  Bronkhorst's  death  you  are  at  the  head  of  affairs  in  the 
town.  Find  a  scrap  of  bread  no  bigger  than  half  your  hand 
to  eat  with  the  meat,  or  else — I  love  my  country  and  its 
liberties  as  well  as  any  other  man — or  else — " 

"  Or  else?" 

' '  Or  else  leave  death  to  reap  his  harvest.  You  are  no  phy- 
sician." 

Bontius  nodded  to  his  friend,  and  left  him.  The  burgomas- 
ter stood,  passing  his  fingers  through  his  hair  and  staring  out 
of  the  window,  till  presently  Barbara  came  into  the  room,  and, 
laying  his  official  dress  on  a  chair,  asked  him  with  affected 
calm: 

"  May  I  give  Adrian  some  of  the  last  biscuit  that  is  left: 
His  stomach  turns  against  the  meat.  He  is  lying  on  his  bed 
all  doubled  up." 

Peter  turned  paler,  and  said,  dully: 

"  Yes,  give  it  him,  and  send  for  the  doctor." 

"  Maria  and  Bontius  are  with  him." 

The  burgomaster  changed  his  dress  with  a  feeling  of  aversion 
toward  each  separate  garment.  He  hated  the  rich  garb  ot 
office  as  he  did  the  functions  which  entitled  him  to  wear  it, 
and  which,  till  within  the  last  few  weeks,  he  had  exercised  with 
so  much  self-confidence  and  satisfaction. 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  227 

Before  leaving  the  house  he  went  to  see  Adrian.  The  lad 
was  lying  in  Barbara's  room,  complaining  of  horrible  pains, 
and  asking  whether  he,  too,  must  die.  Peter  shook  his  head, 
but  Maria  kissed  him,  and  said: 

"No,  no,  certainly  not." 

The  burgomaster  had  no  time  to  linger;  his  wife  called  to 
him  to  wait  as  he  went  through  the  anteroom,  but  he  hurried 
down  the  stairs  without  hearing  what  she  had  to  say  to  him, 
and  she  returned  to  Adrian's  bedside.  As  she  held  the  boy's 
clammy  hand,  she  thought  with  a  pang  of  the  swift  death  that 
had  overtaken  so  many  of  his  companions;  she  thought  of 
sweet  little  Elizabeth,  and  her  fancy  followed  Peter  to  the 
Council,  and  heard  his  firm  voice  contending  for  resistance  till 
the  last  pound  of  meat  was  gone  and  the  last  man  left  stand- 
ing; and,  indeed,  she  was  ready  to  stand  by  him,  though  she 
knew  what  it  must  come  to;  patient  endurance  for  freedom's 
sake,  or,  if  God  should  so  will  it,  a  martyr's  death  in  the  cause 
— to  die  as  Jacoba  and  Leonhard  had  died,  and  Peter's  noble 
father! 

So  the  weary  hours  went  by  one  after  another.  When  Adrian 
began  to  feel  better  she  went  back  to  the  little  one,  who  lay 
white  and  indifferent,  fading  through  twilight  into  the  dark- 
ness of  death,  and  only  now  and  then  lifting  her  little  hand  to 
her  dry  lips. 

Poor,  sweet,  fading  bud  of  human  life;  how  closely  it  had 
grown  to  her  heart,  how  impossible  it  seemed  to  bear  to  lose 
it.  With  streaming  eyes  she  pressed  her  brow  against  her 
clasped  hands  as  they  rested  upon  the  head-board  of  the  little 
bed,  and  prayed  with  passionate  fervor  that  God  would  spare 
this  child  and  save  its  life.  And  not  once  only,  but  again  and 
again.  But  at  last,  when  the  half-glazed  eyes  of  the  dying  child 
no  longer  met  her  own,  her  hands  dropped  into  her  lap  and 
her  thoughts  reverted  to  her  husband,  to  the  town  council,  to 
the  fate  of  the  town,  and  to  the  words:  "  Save  Leyden,  and 
Holland  is  saved;  Leyden  lost,  and  all  is  lost!" 

The  woful  day  faded  into  twilight,  and  the  twilight  sunk 
into  night.  Trautchen  brought  the  lamp,  and  at  last  she  heard 
Peter's  footfall  on  the  stairs.  It  must  be  he— and  yet  it  could 
not  be  he,  for  he  never  dragged  himself  up  the  steps  so  heavily. 
The  door  of  the  study  opened — yes,  it  was  himself. 

What  could  have  happened,  what  had  been  decided  by  the 
citizens?  With  an  anxious  qualm  she  bade  Trautchen  stay 
with  the  little  girl,  and  she  went  to  her  husband. 

Peter  was  sitting  in  front  of  his  writing-table  in  his  burgo- 
master's dress  and  with  his  hat  on.     His  face  was  hidden  in 


228  THE  bubgomasteb's  wife. 


his  folded  arms,  the  two-branched  candlestick  stood  lighted  on 
the  table.  He  taw  nothing,  heard  nothing;  and  when  she 
present  I\  railed  him  by  bis  name  be  stalled  violently,  stood 
bolt  upright,  and  flung  his  hat  angrily  on  to  the  table.  His 
hair  was  in  disorder,  bis  gaze  unsteady,  and  in  the  dull  flicker- 
ing light  of  the  candles  his  face  was  as  gray  as  that  of  a 
corpse. 

"  What  do  you  want?"  he  asked,  shortly,  in  a  hoarse  voice; 
but  for  some  moments  she  could  not  answer— her  tongue 
seemed  paralyzed  with  terror.     At  last  she  spoke. 

"  What  has  happened?"  she  said,  and  her  voice  betrayed 
her  anguish. 

"  The  beginning  of  the  end,"  he  said  gloomily. 

"  They  have  outvoted  you!"  cried  the  young  woman. 
"  Baersdorp  and  the  rest  of  the  cowards  want  to  treat!" 

He  drew  himself  up. 

"  Beware  of  what  you  say,"  he  cried,  in  loud  and  threaten- 
ing tones.  "  A  man  who  holds  out  till  his  children  die,  and 
corpses  bar  the  way  to  his  own  house  door,  who  is  responsible 
for  a  thousand  deaths,  who  for  weeks  has  been  loaded  with 
curses,  and  who  for  more  than  four  months  has  hoped  for  suc- 
cor, who,  look  where  he  will,  sees  nothing  but  unutterable  and 
constantly  increasing  wretchedness  and  then  feels  that  he  can 
no  longer  thrust  back  the  saving  hand  held  out  even  by  the 

foe—" 

"  He  is  a  coward,  a  traitor,  and  breaks  the  solemn  oath  he 

has  sworn!" 

"  Maria  V*  thundered  Peter,  going  close  up  to  her  with  a 
threatening  glare. 

She  stood  still,  drawn  up  to  her  full  height,  and  pointing 
her  finger  at  him,  as  she  went  on  with  keen  asperity,  though 
her  voice  trembled: 

"  You— you  voted  with  Baersdorp!  You,  Peter  van  der 
Werff— you!  You  nave  ^one  tnis>  tne  prince's  friend,  the 
guardian  and  providence  of  this  brave  town;  you,  the  man  to 
whom  the  citizens  pledged  their  word— the  son  of  the  martyr, 
the  champion  of  freedom!" 

"  Say  no  more!"  he  interrupted,  quivering  with  shame  and 
rage.  "  Do  you  know  what  it  is  to  bear  the  burden  of  this 
woe  that  cries  to  Heaven,  in  the  sight  of  God  and  man?" 

"  I  do,  I  do,  and  again  I  say,  I  do.  It  is  to  bind  your  heart 
to  the  rack  and  wheel  in  order  to  save  Holland  and  her  free- 
dom! That  is  what  it  is!  Great  God!  great  Godl  You  are 
lost  indeed;  you  are  making  terms  with  Valde/J" 


\>> 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  229 


a 


And  if  I  were?"  said  the  burgomaster  with  a  haughty 
wave  of  his  hand  as  if  to  dismiss  the  question. 

Maria  fixed' her  eyes  on  his.  and  exclaimed,  with  clear  de- 
cision : 

"Then  it  would  be  my  turn  to  say:  Go  to  Delft,  go  to 
Delft;  we  want  other  men  here.'' 

Van  der  Werff  turned  paler  and  looked  down  at  the  floor, 
while  she  stood  facing  him  with  a  frank  and  fearless  gaze. 
The  light  fell  full  on  her  glowing  countenance,  and  as  he 
raised  his  eyes  once  more  to  hers  he  felt  that  the  woman  who 
stood  before  him  was  that  same  Maria,  who,  as  his  bride,  had 
sworn  to  share  suffering  and  danger  with  him,  and  stand  stead- 
fast to  the  end  in  the  struggle  for  freedom;  he  felt  that  his 
"  child  "  Maria  had  grown  up  to  his  own  level,  ay,  and  be- 
yond it;  he  recognized  for  the  first  time  in  the  high-souled 
woman  before  him  his  ally  in  the  fight,  a  worthy  helpmate  in 
trouble  and  in  danger.  An  overpowering  yearning,  an  eager 
aspiration  such  as  he  had  never  before  felt,  surged  and  seethed 
within  him,  and  drew  him  to  her,  and  found  utterance  in 
words. 

"Maria!"  he  cried,  "Maria  my  wife,  my  guardian  angel! 
We  have  indeed  WTitten  to  Valdez,  but  it  is  yet  time;  nothing 
as  yet  binds  me,  and  with  you,  with  you  by  my  side,  I  can 
stand  firm  to  the  end." 

And  in  the  middle  of  this  day  of  anguish  her  heart  over- 
flowed with  the  flood  of  this  new,  unhoped-for,  and  unutter- 
able joy.  As  she  flung  herself  on  his  breast,  she  exclaimed: 
' '  And  1  with  you — one  with  you !  forever,  through  this  strug- 
gle, and  in  love  beyond  the  grave  V 


CHAPTER  XXX1H. 

Peter  felt  like  a  man  under  a  charm.  Courage  and  en- 
thusiasm once  more  filled  his  soul,  for  they  overflowed  in  an 
unfailing  stream  from  the  brave  and  confident  spirit  of  his 
wife.  Under  the  23ressure  of  the  fearful  responsibility  he  bore 
and  the  urgency  of  his  fellow-citizens,  he  had  agreed  in  the 
Council  to  write  to  Valdez  and  crave  a  safe-conduct  for  an 
envoy  to  be  sent  to  the  states  general  and  the  Prince  of 
Orange,  to  beg  them  to  release  the  perishing  city  from  its  oath. 
Valdez  sjiared  no  effort  to  incite  the  burgomaster  to  further 
negotiations,  but  Van  der  Werff  stood  firm,  and  the  demand 
for  release  from  the  sacred  duty  of  resistance  never  left  the 
town.  Both  the  Van  der  Does,  the  town  clerk,  the  Jonker 
van  Warmond,  and  other  stanch  men,  who,  at  the  great  gen- 


330  the  burgomasteb's  wife. 

eral  meeting  had  opposed  all  negotiations  with  the  enemy,  now 
ranged  themselves  on  his  side  against  their  fellow-officials  and 
the  town  council,  who,  with  the  exception  of  seven  only  of 
their  number,  perseveringly  and  violently  insisted  on  the  dis- 
cussion of  terms. 

Adrian  soon  got  better,  but  the  doctor's  predictions  were 
terribly  fulfilled;  for  hunger  and  pestilence  vied  with  each 
oilier  m  their  hideous  fury,  and  destroyed  nearly  half  the  in- 
habitants of  the  thriving  town.  And  yet,  deep  as  the  gloom 
m;i>.  and  dark  as  was  the  horizon,  in  the  midst  of  all  this  cruel 
misery  there  were  moments  when  a  bright  ray  of  sunshine  fell 
on  these  suffering  souls,  and  Hope  unfurled  her  green  stand- 
ard. On  the  morning  of  the  eleventh  of  September  the  towns- 
folk of  Leyden  rose  from  their  beds  more  radiantly  joyful  than 
a  bride  roused  on  her  wedding-day  by  the  songs  of  her  maiden 
companions,  for  in  the  distance  the  loud  and  persistent  thun- 
der of  cannon  could  be  heard,  and  the  sky  was  dyed  with  crim- 
son; to  the  south-west  of  the  town  there  must  be  villages  in 
flames,  and  each  house,  each  granary,  that  sunk  into  ashes, 
burying  the  hopes  of  honest  men,  was  a  beacon  of  promise  to 
the  despairing  Leydeners. 

The  Gueux  were  approaching! 

There,  out  there,  where  the  cannon  thundered  and  the  hori- 
zon glowed,  was  the  land-scheiding3  the  dike,  which  for  centu- 
ries had  stoutly  protected  the  plain  of  Leyden  against  the 
incursions  of  the  waves,  and  which  now  stopped  the  advance 
of  the  fleet  that  was  to  bring  them  life. 

"  Fall,  sheltering  wall!  Eise,  storms,  and  thou  sea,  ingulf 
thy  prey!  Destroy  the  peasant's  wealth,  ruin  our  fields  and 
pastures,  but  drown  the  foe  or  drive  him  hence!" 

Thus  sung  Janus  Dousa,  thus  cried  Peter's  soul,  thus  prayed 
Maria,  and  with  her  thousands  of  men  and  women. 

But  the  blaze  in  the  distance  died  awa}r,  the  firing  was 
silent.  A  second  day  went  by,  a  third,  a  fourth;  no  messenger 
came,  no  ship  of  the  Gueux  was  to  be  seen,  and  the  lake  lay 
motionless;  while  another  awful  power  grew  and  stalked 
through  the  city  with  secret,  stealthy,  and  omnipotent  force — 
Death,  with  its  gaunt  helpmates  I  despair  and  Famine.  Silent- 
ly and  at  night  the  dead  were  carried  to  their  graves,  that  the 
survivors  might  share  their  slender  ration  undiminished.  From 
house  to  house  the  Angel  of  Death  winged  his  way  and  laid 
his  hand  at  last  on  little  Elizabeth,  kissing  her  closed  eyes  as 
she  slept  in  the  noiseless  night. 

The  faint-hearted  and  those  who  sided  with  the  Spaniards 
assembled  in  mobs,  one  of  which  even  made  its  way  into  the 


the  burgomaster's  wife.  231 

council-room,  clamoring  for  bread.  But  there  was  not  a 
crumb  left  in  the  stores,  the  authorities  had  nothing  left  to 
give  but  a  morsel  of  cow  or  horse-flesh,  or  hides — soaked  and 
salted  hides. 

On  one  of  these  days  of  dire  extremity,  Van  der  Werff  was 
going  down  the  Breede  Street;  he  paid  no  heed  to  the  fact  that 
a  crowd  of  desperate  men  and  women  were  following  him  with 
threats  and  abuse,  but  as  he  turned  a  corner  to  go  to  Van 
Hout's  house  he  suddenly  found  himself  surrounded.  A  pale 
woman,  with  a  child  in  lier  arms  at  its  last  gasp,  flung  herself 
before  him,  holding  the  dying  infant  up  to  him,  and  crying  in 
a  hollow,  feeble  voice: 

"  Is  it  not  enough,  is  it  not  enough?  Look  here,  see  this — 
it  is  the  third!     It  is  enough,  enough!" 

"  Enough,  enough!  Bread,  bread— give  us  bread!"  thun- 
dered and  growled  all  round  him,  and  stones  and  missiles  were 
lifted  to  throw,  while  a  carpenter  whom  he  knew,  and  who 
had  always  stood  by  the  good  cause,  stepped  close  up  to  him, 
and  said  deliberately,  in  a  deep  voice: 

"  We  can  bear  it  no  longer.  We  have  patiently  endured 
famine  and  suffering  to  defy  the  Spaniards  and  to  defend  our 
Bible,  but  to  fight  with  certain  death  is  sheer  madness." 

Peter  stood  still,  shocked  and  silent,  and  looked  at  the 
mother,  the  child,  the  stalwart  working-man,  and  the  shriek- 
ing, threatening  wretches.  The  common  woe  which  was  crush- 
ing them  and  so  many  starving  creatures  burdened  his  soul 
with  tenfold  weight.  Anguish  unutterable  clutched  his  heart, 
and  he  longed  to  open  his  arms  and  embrace  them  all  as  fel- 
low-sufferers and  brethren  in  a  future  and  nobler  existence. 
He  looked  from  one  to  another  deeply  moved;  then  pressing 
his  hands  to  his  breast  he  thus  addressed  the  crowd  that 
thronged  round  him: 

"  Here  I  stand.  I  have  sworn  to  remain  faithful,  and  you 
swore  it  with  me.  I  will  never  break  my  oath,  but  I  can  die! 
If  my  death  can  do  you  any  good,  here  I  am!  Bread  1  have 
none,  but  here  is  my  body — take  it;  kill  me,  and  tear  me  in 
pieces.     Here  I  stand,  and  I  will  never  break  my  oath." 

The  carpenter's  head  fell  on  his  breast.  Come,  good 
folks,"  he  said;  "  God's  will  be  done.     We  have  sworn." 

The  burgomaster  passed  on  calmly  to  his  friend's  house. 
Dame  van  Hout  had  watched  the  whole  scene  from  a  window, 
and  that  same  day  she  related  it  to  Maria,  and  her  eyes  sparkled 
with  enthusiasm  as  she  added: 

"  I  never  saw  a  man  so  supremely  great  as  he  was  at  thai 
moment.     It  is  well  for  us  that  he  commands  within  thesu 


THE    Hi  KiioMAsi'Kii's  WIPE. 

walls;  this  deed  will  be  remembered  by  our  children  and  our 
children's  children. " 

They  have,  indeed,  kept  his  memory  green  in  faithful  re- 
mi'inbniuce. 

During  the  night  which  followed  the  day  when  the  b urge- 
master  had  held  himself  so  bravely,  a  letter  arrived  from  tho 
prince,  full  of  cheerful  and  encouraging  news.  Their  illus- 
trious chief  was  well  again  and  straining  every  nerve  to  save 
his  brave  town  of  Leyden.  The  Gueux  bad  pierced  the  land- 
scheiding;  the  ships  were  advancing;  help  was  approaching; 
and  the  devoted  men  who  brought  the  letter  had,  with  their 
own  eyes,  seen  the  fleet  that  was  bringing  supplies  and  the 
champions  of  freedom,  fired  with  zeal  and  valor  for  the  strug- 
gle. The  two  Van  der  Does  were  nominated  in  the  same  let- 
ter to  represent  the  prince  in  the  place  of  Van  Bronkhorst. 
Van  der  Werff  no  longer  stood  alone;  and  when,  next  morn- 
ing, "  Father  William's  "  letter  was  read  to  the  populace,  and 
the  messenger's  errand  became  generally  known,  the  spirits 
and  confidence  of  the  long-suffering  towns-folk  rose  like  with- 
ered grass  under  refreshing  showers. 

But  there  were  still  weary  weeks  of  terror  and  misery  to  be 
gone  through.  In  the  last  days  of  September  they  had  to  kill 
the  cows,  which  till  then  had  been  spared  for  the  benefit  of 
the  children  and  women  in  child-bed;  and  then — what  next? 
Succor  was  at  hand,  for  the  sky  was  often  red,  and  the  air 
shook  with  the  thunder  of  distant  cannon;  but  the  east  wind 
blew  steadily  and  held  back  the  water  which  let  in  upon  the 
land;  and  the  ships  which  were  trying  to  reach  the  town  need- 
ed a  high  flood-tide. 

Of  all  the  messengers  they  sent  forth  not  one  returned; 
nothing  was  certain  but  their  hideous,  cruel,  and  increasing 
misery. 

At  last  Barbara  had  succumbed,  and  was  complaining  of 
prostration  and  loathing  for  every  kind  of  food.  Maria  re- 
membered the  roast  pigeon  which  had  been  so  welcome  to  their 
little  lost  Elizabeth,  and  she  went  to  the  musician  to  ask  him 
whether  he  could  bear  to  sacrifice  another  of  his  pets  to  save 
her  sister-in-law. 

She  was  received  by  his  mother,  who  was  sitting  languid  and 
feeble  in  an  easy-chair.  She  could  still  walk,  it  is  true,  but  all 
this  anxiety  and  extreme  want  bad  brought  on  a  strange  shak- 
ing palsy  in  her  hand.  To  Maria's  question  she  shook  her 
head  and  replied:  "Ask  him  yourself,  lie  has  had  to  keep 
the  poor  little  creatures  shut  up,  for  if  they  had  been  seen  they 
Would  have  been  shot  down  long  since  by  the  starving  people. 


THE    BUKGOMASTEk's   WIFE.  233 

He  still  has  three;  the  rest  have  flown  off  with  various  letters, 
but  have  uever  come  back.  Thank  God!  say  I,  for  the  scrap 
of  food  he  still  has  by  him  is  better  in  the  pot  than  in  their 
crops.  Would  you  believe  it?  A  fortnight  since  he  paid  fifty 
gulden  out  of  his  savings  for  half  a  sack  of  pease,  and  God  only 
knows  where  he  got  them  then.  Ullrich,  take  Dame  van  der 
Werff  up  to  speak  to  Wilhelm.  I  would  spare  you  the  stairs, 
but  he  is  watching  up  there  for  the  pigeons  he  has  sent  out, 
and  will  not  come  down  even  to  meals;  and  God  knows  they 
are  not  worth  coming  down  to. " 

The  day  was  clear  and  sunny.  Wilhelm  was  standing  on 
his  balcony,  and  looking  out  over  the  green,  well-watered  plain 
that  stretched  before  him  to  the  south.  Behind  him  sat  the 
captain's  orphan  son,  Andreas,  writing  music;  but  his  atten- 
tion was  not  very  steady,  for,  whenever  he  had  finished  a  line, 
he  sat  gazing  into  the  air  and  watching,  like  his  master,  for 
the  expected  pigeons.  He  was  not  very  much  the  worse  for 
the  dearth,  for  a  certain  portion  of  the  pigeons'  food  had  fallen 
to  his  share  with  his  small  allowance  of  meat. 

Wilhelm  was  as  much  surprised  as  honored  by  Maria's  visit, 
and  promised  to  grant  her  request;  but  it  was  plain  that  he 
did  not  find  it  an  easy  matter  to  say  "Yes."  The  young 
woman  went  out  on  to  the  balcony  with  him,  and  he  showed 
her  that  to  the  south,  where  formerly  nothing  had  been  visible 
but  miles  of  green,  there  was  a  hue — a  long,  level  margin — 
above  which  hovered  a  filmy  mist.  The  noonday  sun  seemed 
to  saturate  the  pale  vapor  with  light  and  draw  it  upward.  It 
was  the  water  that  was  pouring  in  through  the  cuts  in  the 
dikes;  and  the  long  black  patches  which  might  be  seen  mov- 
ing on  its  shore  must  be  the  Spanish  troops  and  herds  of  cattle 
which  were  being  driven  into  the  outermost  forts,  villages,  and 
hamlets,  by  the  encroching  tide.  The  land-scheiding  itself  was 
out  of  sight,  but  the  Gueux  had  already  cut  through  that.  If 
the  fleet  could  only  reach  the  Zoetermeer  Lake,  and  from 
thence — 

But  Wilhelm  suddenly  broke  off  in  his  explanation,  for  An- 
dreas sprung  up,  throwing  down  his  stool  and  shouting : 

"It  is  coming — the  pigeon!  By  Roland,  my  former  self, 
there  it  is!" 

It  was  the  first  time  that  Wilhelm  had  ever  heard  the 
father's  favorite  cry  from  the  lips  of  the  son;  something  must 
have  excited  him  strangely;  and  in  fact  he  was  not  mistaken, 
for  the  speck  which  his  sharp  eyes  had  espied  cutting  through 
the  air  was  no  longer  a  speck  but  already  an  object  of  dis- 
cernible form — a  bird — a  pigeon. 


234  THE    Blll'oM  ASTER'S  WIFE. 

Wilhelm  snatched  up  a  banner  that  lay  on  the  balcony,  and 
waved  it  more  joyfully  than  ever  a  victor  waved  his  flag  after 
\rinning  a  battle.     There  came  the  pigeon:  it  settled,  slipped 

into  the  dove-cote,  and  in  another  minute  the  musician  ap- 
peared with  a  tiny  letter  in  his  hand. 

"  To  the  burgomaster — quick!"  cried  Wilhelm.  "  Carry  it 
at  once  to  your  husband,  dear  dame,  and  finish  what  the 
pigeon  has  begun.  God  be  praised !  they  are  already  at  North 
Aa.  This  will  save,  the  poor  folks  from  despair:  and  one 
thing  more,  you  shall  have  a  bird  to  cook;  but  take  this  corn 
too — barley-meal  porridge  is  the  very  best  remedy  in  Barbara's 
condition;  I  have  tried  it." 

In  the  evening,  and  after  the  organist  had  communicated 
the  good  news  to  his  parents,  he  ordered  that  the  blue  pigeon 
with  a  white  breast  should  be  killed.  ' '  Make  an  end  of  it 
outside,"  he  said:  "  I  can  not  bear  to  see  it  done." 

Andreas  soon  came  in  with  the  dead  pigeon:  his  lips  were 
red,  and  Wilhelm  could  guess  the  reason,  but  he  could  not 
scold  the  famishing  boy,  and  only  said : 

"  Faugh!  you  ferret!" 

Next  morning,  quite  early,  another  pigeon  flew  in.  The  letters 
that  they  had  brought  were  read  out  from  the  window  of  the 
town  hall,  and  the  courage  of  the  Le}*deners,  now  in  the  utmost 
extremity  of  misery,  once  more  flickered  into  life  and  helped 
them  to  endure  the  worst.  One  of  the  letters  was  to  Van  der 
Werff,  the  other  to  Janus  Dousa:  they  spoke  of  confidence  and 
hope;  and  the  prince — the  faithful  rock  of  their  freedom,  the 
friend  and  leader  of  the  nation — the  prince  was  well  and  strong 
again,  and  had  himself  been  to  see  the  ships  which  were  being 
sent  to  relieve  the  town.  Salvation  was  so  near — but  the 
north-east  wind  would  not  change  and  the  waters  did  not  rise 

On  the  Burcht  and  other  elevated  sjwts  stood  the  citizens, 
soldiers,  town-councilors,  and  women  in  great  numbers,  all 
gazing  into  the  distance.  A  thousand  hands  were  uplifted  in 
fervent  prayer,  and  all  eyes  were  fixed  in  fervent  expectation 
and  agonizing  longing  on  the  southern  horizon;  but  the  line  of 
water  did  not  advance,  and  the  sun  broke  brightly  through 
the  mists  of  the  autumn  morning  as  if  in  mockery,  tempered 
the  keen  air,  and  sunk  to  rest  in  the  evening  in  a  fiery  glow 
and  far-reaching  shafts  of  golden  light.  A  cloudless  blue  sky 
overarched  the  town  with  pitiless  calm,  and  decked  itself  at 
night  with  myriads  of  bright  stars. 

On  the  morning  of  the  29th,  however,  the  mists  seemed  to 
pack  more  solidly  together,  the  grass  was  dewless,  a  fog  rose, 
the  sharp  air  was  tempered  to  a  dull  mildness,  and  the  great 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S  WIFE.  £35 

clouds  grew  dense  and  gathered  blackness.  Then  a  light 
hreeze  rose  and  rustled  in  the  leafless  branches,  and  suddenly 
a  gust  of  wind  swept  over  the  heads  of  the  watching  crowd. 
It  was  followed  by  a  second  and  a  third,  and  at  last  the  gale 
whistled  and  roared,  and  a  howling  storm  whirled  through  the 
town,  sweeping  the  tiles  from  the  roofs,  bending  the  fruit-trees 
in  the  gardens  and  the  young  elms  and  lime-trees  in  the 
streets;  tearing  down  the  banners  which  the  boys  had  stuck  up 
on  the  walls,  in  defiance  of  the  Spaniards;  lashing  the  dull 
waters  of  the  canals  and  the  moat.  And  now — for  the  Lord 
forsaketh  not  His  own — the  weather-cock  veered,  the  blast 
came  down  from  the  north-west  and  drove  the  spring-tide  in 
the  storm-tossed  sea  up  the  mouth  of  the  Maas;  none  could  see 
it,  but  the  seamen  shouted  out  the  news,  and  it  was  caught  up 
and  passed  on  from  one  to  another.  The  stream  was  forced 
violently  up  its  channel  and  over  its  banks,  rushing  through 
the  cuttings  made  in  the  dikes  made  to  admit  it,  and  through 
the  yawning  sluice-gates,  and  bearing  on  its  mighty  shoulders 
the  shijDS  that  bore  relief.  Eage,  rage,  thou  storm;  beat  down, 
thou  lashing  rain;  rush  on,  ye  floods;  destroy  the  land,  ingulf 
the  houses  and  farms!  Thousands  are  waiting  to  welcome  you 
on  the  walls  and  towers  of  Leyden.  They  see  in  you  the 
avenging  and  saving  hosts  of  the  Lord,  and  rejoice  and  hail 
you  with  shouts. 

For  two  successive  days  the  burgomaster — with  Maria  and 
Adrian,  and  the  families  of  Van  der  Does  and  Van  Hout — has 
remained,  with  brief  intervals,  among  the  towns-people,  who 
are  watching  from  the  Burcht  or  the  Cow  Gate;  and  even  Bar- 
bara, though  hardly  recovered,  will  not  be  kept  at  home,  for 
hojoe  has  done  more  to  revive  her  than  the  barley-meal  porridge 
and  the  lean  pigeon;  she  has  dragged  herself  up  to  the  musi- 
cian's eyrie,  for  every  one  must  see  the  advancing  waters,  as 
the  earth  gives  place  to  them — see  the  moisture  trickle  through 
the  grass,  collect  in  puddles,  pools,  lakes,  till  at  last  it  is  a 
broad  level,  beaten  by  the  thrashing  rain  into  bubbles  that 
break  into  rings  and  vanish.  Every  one  wants  to  see  with  his 
own  eyes  how  the  Spaniards  hurry  hither  and  thither,  like 
sheep  fleeing  before  a  wolf.  Every  one  must  hear  for  himself 
the  thunder  of  the  Gueux's  cannon,  the  rattle  of  their  arque- 
buses and  musketry;  men  and  women  alike  rejoice  more  in 
the  storm  which  threatens  to  sweep  them  away  than  in  the 
softest  zephyr;  and  the  drenching  rain  that  soaks  them  is  more 
delightful  than  the  sunlighted  showers  of  spring. 

Beyond  the  stronghold  of  Lammen,  defended  by  some  hun- 
dred Spanish  soldiers,  and  the  tower  of  Croonesteyn,  a  keen 


036"  THE    BTJIIGOJIASTEK'S  WIEE. 

eye  could  now  detect  the  ships  of  the  Gueux.  All  Thursday 
and  Friday  Wilhelm  had  Looked  in  vain  for  a  pigeon,  but  on 
Saturday  his  besf  carrier  came  home.  It  bore  a  letter  from 
Admiral  Boisot,  begging  that  the  men  at  arms  [eft  in  the  town 
would  make  a  sortie  on  the  Friday,  and  throw  themselves  upon 
Lammen.  The  storm  had  carried  the  bird  out  of  its  track; 
it  had  arrived  a  day  too  late.  However,  on  the  Saturday  even- 
ing Janus  Dousa  and  Captain  van  der  Laen  prepared  to"  move. 
All  who  could  bear  arms  were  called  out  early  on  Sunday 
morning.  A  hapless,  pale,  and  diminished  force  gathered  at 
their  commanders'  call;  but  none  would  be  missing,  and  all 
were  prepared  to  yield  up  their  lives  for  the  rescue  of  the  town 
and  of  those  dear  to  them. 

The  storm  had  moderated;  the  firing  had  ceased;  the  night 
was  warm  and  dark.  Not  an  eye  was  closed,  and  those  who, 
for  a  few  moments,  were  overcome  by  sleep  were  startled  and 
alarmed  by  strange  and  mysterious  noises.  Wilhelm  sat  up 
on  his  balcony,  looking  and  listening  toward  the  south.  Now 
a  light  gust  of  wind  would  whistle  round  the  tall  house,  now  a 
shout,  a  cry,  a  trumpet-call  rang  through  the  silent  night; 
and  presently  there  was  a  crash  and  roar  out  by  the  Cow  Gate, 
as  though  an  earthquake  had  shaken  the  foundations  of  part 
of  the  town  and  hurled  it  to  the  ground.  There  was  not  a  star 
in  the  sky,  but  in  the  neighborhood  of  Lammen  dancing  lights 
moved  in  regular  rows  across  the  black  darkness.  It  was  an 
ominous  and  terrible  night. 

At  dawn  it  was  seen  that  a  part  of  the  town  wall  by  the  Cow 
Gate  had  fallen  in,  and  a  cry  of  joy  went  up  to  Heaven  at  the 
sight  of  the  breach,  which  was  no  longer  a  source  of  danger, 
while  the  joyful  news  flew  through  the  streets  and  alleys. 
Men  and  women,  old  men  and  children,  sick  and  sound, 
came  out  of  the  houses,  crowding  down  to  the  Cow  Gate;  now 
the  fleet  of  the  Gueux  was  to  be  seen  rapidly  coming  nearer, 
and  the  town  carpenter,  Thomassohn,  with  some  others,  was 
tearing  up  the  piles  with  which  the  Spaniards  had  barred  the 
Vliet,  till  at  last  the  first  ship,  and  then  a  second  and  a  third, 
was  close  under  the  walls.  The  wild-looking,  hairy  sailors — 
men  with  deeply  scarred,  fierce,  sunburned  faces,  which  for 
years  had  felt  no  touch  of  salt  water  but  the  sea  spray — were 
laughing  to  the  citizens  and  crying  and  sobbing  like  children; 
while  they  threw  them  up  loaves  and  good  things  long  un- 
known to  them,  which  the  }Joor  creatures  on  the  wall  eat  and 
eat,  and  could  not  even  find  a  word  of  thanks.  And  then  the 
chiefs  arrived  and  met;  Admiral  Boisot  fell  into  the  arms  of 
Van  der  Does  and  the  burgomaster,  and  Van  Duykenburg  into 


THE    BC'RGOMASTER's  WIFE.  23? 

those  of  his  mother,  old  Barbara,  and  many  a  Leydener  hugged 
the  liberators  he  had  never  set  eyes  on  till  this  hour.  Many, 
many  a  tear  was  shed,  and  thousands  of  hearts  overflowed,  and 
the  Sunday  bells  rang  out  louder  and  clearer  than  was  their 
wont,  bidding  the  rescuer  and  the  rescued  alike  to  church  and 
prayer.  The  wide  vault  of  the  sanctuary  was  too  narrow  for 
the  worshipers,  and  when  the  preacher,  Corneliussohn — filling 
the  place  of  the-  worthy  Vertroot,  who  had  fallen  ill  himself 
while  tending  so  many  sufferers  —  exhorted  the  devout  to 
thanksgiving,  his  words  had  long  been  anticipated,  for  at  the 
very  first  sounds  of  the  organ  the  thousands  who  crowded  the 
church  in  every  part  had  been  fired  to  offer  up,  as  with  one 
voice,  thanks — thanks,  and  again  fervent  thanks! 

Pater  Damianus,  too,  returned  thanks  to  God  in  the  little 
chapel  of  the  Carmelite  Sisters,  and  with  him  Nicolas  van 
Wibisma  and  many  another  Catholic,  to  whom  freedom  and 
his  fatherland  were  dear. 

After  church,  Adrian,  with  a  piece  of  bread  in  one  hand  and 
his  shoes  in  the  other,  waded  at  the  head  of  his  school-fellows 
across  the  higher  meadows,  which  were  all  under  water,  as  far 
as  Leyderdor]},  to  see  the  deserted  Spanish  camp.  There  stood 
the  handsome  tent  of  the  commander-in-chief;  over  the  bed- 
stead hung  a  map  of  the  Ehineland,  which  had  been  drawn  by 
Beeldsnyder,  a  Dutchman,  for  the  destruction  of  his  own  coun- 
trymen. The  boys  stood  gazing  at  it,  and  a  Gueux,  who  had 
once  sat  at  a  desk,  and  who  now  looked  like  a  sea-bear,  went 
up  to  them. 

"See  here,  lads,"  he  said,  "here  is  the  land-scheiding. 
We  cut  through  that  first,  but  that  was  only  half  our  task. 
We  were  checked  at  the  Greenway,  and  here  at  the  third  dike 
— the  Voorweg  they  call  it — we  found  too  hard  a  nut  to  crack; 
we  could  not  get  through  any  way.  So  back  we  had  to  go 
again,  a  long  round  by  Zeegwaert  and  through  the  canal  here, 
where  we  had  a  hard  tussle,  to  North  Aa.  The  Zoetermeer 
Lake  was  now  behind  us,  but  the  water  was  too  shallow,  and 
we  could  get  no  further.  Have  you  seen  the  great  '  Ark  of 
Delft '?  It  is  a  huge  vessel,  and  is  not  moved  by  oars  but  by 
wheels,  which  turn  and  push  it  on  through  the  water;  you  will 
like  to  see  it.  At  last  the  Lord  sent  the  storm  and  the  spring- 
tide, and  the  ships  had  water  enough  to  float  them.  At  the 
Kirk  way  wc  again  had  hot  work,  but  we  got  to  Lammen  the 
day  before  yesterday.  Many  a  brave  man  had  already  fallen 
on  both  sides,  but  when  we  got  to  Lammen,  we  nil  thought  we 
were  to  fight  it  out  in  good  earnest.  Early  this  morning  we 
meant  to  storm  the  fort,  but  when  day  dawned  all  was  awfully 


838  THE    BURGO.MASTKlt's   -WIPE. 

Btdl]  iii  the  nest,  and  there  was  an  uncanny  sultriness  in  the  air. 
Then  we  thought  to  ourselves:  '  It  is  all  over  with  Leyden; 
hunger  has  been  too  much  for  them!'  But  nothing  of  the 
kind!  Y<ni  are  made  of  sterner  stuff;  and  a  hoy  came  wading 
«»ii(  to  the  ship — about  as  big  as  one  of  you — and  said  that  in 
the  night  he  had  seen  a  long  train  of  lights  come  out  of  the 
i'<»rt  and  march  away.  At  first  we  would  not  believe  him,  but 
the  boy  was  right.  The  crabs  had  found  the  water  too  hot  for 
them,  and  the  lights  the  youngster  had  seen  were  the  slow 
matches  of  the  Spaniards.  Look,  children,  there  is  Lam- 
men — " 

Adrian  and  his  companions  had  gone  quite  close  up  to  the 
map  and  had  interrupted  the  seaman's  story  with  a  loud  laugh. 

"  What  have  you  found  there,  curly  pate?"  asked  the 
Gueux. 

"  Look  here,  look  here!  the  great  Valdez  has  immortalized 
himself;  and  here  is  his  name  too!  Our  head-master  would 
make  him  wear  a  dunce's  cap,  for  he  writes:  '  Castelli  parvi  ! 
Vale  civitas,  calcic  Castelli  parvi  ;  relicti  estis  propter  aquam 
et  non  per  vim  inimicorum.'  Oh,  what  an  ass!  Castelli 
parvi. !" 

"  And  what  does  all  that  mean?"  asked  the  sailor. 

"Farewell,  Leyden,  farewell,  ye  little  Castelli!  you  are 
abandoned  because  of  the  waters  and  not  because  of  the  strength 
of  the  enemy.    '  Parvi  Castelli !'    I  must  tell  mother  of  that. " 

On  Monday  William  of  Orange  arrived  at  Leyden  and  took 
up  his  quarters  in  the  Baron  of  Montfoort's  house.  The  peo- 
ple hailed  their  Father  William  "  with  great  rejoicing;  and 
the  indefatigable  champion  of  the  freedom  of  the  Netherlands, 
in  the  midst  of  the  satisfaction  and  triumph  that  surrounded 
him,  busied  himself  for  the  further  prosperity  of  the  town. 
At  a  later  jDeriod  he  rewarded  the  stanch  endurance  of  its  in- 
habitants with  a  truly  glorious  monument  of  their  victory — the 
University  of  Leyden.  It  served  to  arouse  and  cherish  in  the 
busy  town,  and  throughout  the  land  which  had  so  long  lain 
bleeding  under  the  horrors  of  war,  that  lofty  spirit  whose 
struggles  and  labors  are  their  own  reward,  and  which  sets 
eternal  blessings  far  above  temporal  ones.  That  tree  of  which 
the  seed  was  sown  at  the  moment  of  escape  from  utter  misery, 
and  in  the  very  midst  of  warfare  and  suffering,  has  borne 
splendid  fruits  for  mankind,  and  bears  them  still,  and,  please 
God!  will  nourish  for  many  a  century  yet. 

On  the  26th  of  July,  1581,  seven  years  after  the  relief  of 
Leyden,  Holland  and  Zealand,  whose  political  independence 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   "WIFE.  239 

had  already  been  established  for  six  years,  declared  at  the 
Hague  their  formal  separation  from  Spain.  "William  of 
Orange  had  hitherto  ruled  as  Stadhouder,  or  regent,  under 
King  Philip,  and  had  even  carried  on  the  war  against  him  in 
his  own  name.  Nay,  the  charter  of  foundation  of  the  uni- 
versity—a  document  which,  in  spite  of  the  grave  purpose  which 
dictated  it,  may  be  designated  as  an  unsurpassed  masterpiece 
of  subtle  political  irony — was  put  into  the  mouth  of  King- 
Philip  by  his  viceroy;  and  it  is  amusing  to  read  in  this  legal 
deed  that  the  gloomy  bigot  in  the  Escurial  has,  after  mature 
deliberation,  agreed  with  his  dear  and  faithful  cousin,  William 
of  Orange,  to  found  a  free  school  and  university  on  grounds 
which  it  is  quite  certain  the  king  must  have  held  in  the  great- 
est abhorrence. 

On  the  24th  of  July  this  mockery  had  been  quashed,  and 
Philip  formally  deposed.  The  prince  no  longer  wielded  the 
government  in  the  name  of  the  king,  but  in  that  of  the  states 
general. 

Three  days  later  the  event  was  celebrated  by  a  splendid  ban- 
quet in  Van  der  Werff 's  house. 

The  windows  of  the  dining-room  stood  open,  and  the  fresh 
air  of  the  summer  night  fanned  the  heated  brows  of  the  guests 
who  had  met  round  the  burgomaster's  table.  These  were  all 
his  best  and  most  intimate  friends:  Janus  Dousa;  Van  Hout; 
the  learned  Dr.  Grotius  of  Delft,  wdio,  to  Maria's  great  joy, 
had  been  invited  to  Leyden  as  a  professor,  and  who  had  this 
year  been  chosen  rector,  or  warden,  of  the  new  university:  our 
learned  acquaintance,  the  inn-keeper  Aquanus;  Dr.  Bontius, 
now  professor  of  medicine  at  the*  college,  and  others.  The 
musician  Wilhelm  was  present,  too,  but  not  alone;  for  with 
him  was  his  handsome  and  charming  wife,  Anna  d'Avila, 
whom  he  had  lately  brought  home  from  Italy.  He  had  now 
for  some  years  bcrne  the  name  of  Van  Duivenbode — "  pigeon 
messenger,"  the  state  having  granted  him  this  well-earned 
surname  and  a  coat  of  arms — on  a  field  argent,  three  pigeons 
azure,  and  two  keys  crossed. 

With  the  full  consent  of  the  prince,  the  bequests  of  old  Mis- 
tress van  Hoogstraten  to  her  relations  and  servants  had  been 
recognized,  and  Wilhelm  and  his  wife  were  now  living  in  a 
handsome  new  house — with  a  dove-cote  attached — where  Maria 
took  part  in  many  a  madrigal,  although  the  four  children  she 
had  brought  her  husband  left  her  now  but  little  time.  The 
musician  had  plenty  to  tell  Adrian  of  Pome  and  of  his  sister- 
in-law,  Henrika;  and  Adrian  was  now  a  fine  young  man,  who 
had  studied  at  the  university,  and  was  ere  long  to  be  made  a 


240  THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WTFE. 

membei  of  the  town  council.  Belotti  had  followed  Henrika 
to  Italy  after  the  death  of  her  father,  who  had  consented  to 

Bee  and  bless  Anna  once  more,  and  there  she  lived  as  superior 
of  a  secular  order  who  cultivated  music  with  special  zeal. 

Barbara  was  not  among  the  guests,  for  she  found  enough  to 
occupy  her  in  the  kitchen.  Her  wide  cap  frills  were  goffered 
now  with  an  almost  coquettish  elaboration,  and  the  confident 
satisfaction  with  which  she  ruled  Trautchen  and  the  other  two 
serving-maids  amply  proved  that  all  went  well  in  Peter's 
household  and  business. 

And  it  was  really  worth  while  to  take  some  extra  trouble  for 
the  guests  they  had  upstairs.  The  Jonker  van  Warmond  was 
among  them,  and  a  place  of  honor  was  kept  for  him  between 
Dr.  Grotius  and  Janus  Dousa,  the  chief  curator  of  the  uni- 
versity; for  he  had  risen  to  be  a  great  personage  and  a  power- 
ful statesman,  who  had  had  great  difficulty  in  making  time  to 
come  from  the  Hague  with  his  young  colleague,  Nicolas  van 
Wibisma,  to  take  part  in  the  festivity.  But  he  was  as  lively 
and  eager  as  ever  as  he  pledged  Master  Aquanus,  exclaiming:. 

"  To  the  memory  of  old  times  and  our  friend  Georg  von 
Dornburg!" 

' :  With  all  my  heart/'  replied  the  inn-keeper.  "  It  is  a  long 
time  since  we  heard  any  tidings  of  his  daring  deeds  and 
travels." 

"Very  naturally.  The  fermenting  liquor  has  settled  and 
cleared  itself.  Dornburg  is  in  the  English  service  again,  and 
a  month  ago  I  met  him  in  London,  a  British  naval  officer. 
His  squadron  is  now  on  the  way  to  Venice.  But  he  still  thinks 
of  all  here  with  affection,  a*nd  bade  me  greet  you.  You  would 
hardly  recognize  our  favorite  of  other  days  in  the  resj)ected 
and  imperious  commander,  at  once  so  calm  and  so  jovial. 
How  often  would  his  soaring- genius  bear  him  high  above  our 
heads,  and  how  sad  it  was  to  see  him  gloomily  dreaming  over 
his  secret  sorrows!" 

"  I  saw  the  Jonker  formerly  in  Delft,"  said  Grotius.  "  Such 
soaring  spirits  are  apt  to  fly  too  high,  and  then  to  have  a  fall ; 
but  if  they  can  only  harness  themselves  to  the  car  of  work  and 
duty,  they  have  a  force  that  may  move  heavy  burdens  and 
conquer  the  greatest  difficulties  with  happy  ease." 

Meanwhile  Adrian,  at  a  sign  from  his  father,  had  risen  to 
his  feet  and  filled  the  glasses  of  the  company  with  the  best 
wine  he  had.  The  "  Hoch  "  which  the  burgomaster  gave  out 
was  in  honor  of  the  prince,  and  Janus  Dousa  supplemented  it 
with  one  for  the  independence  and  freedom  of  their  native 
Jand.     Van  Hout  filled  a  glass  to  the  memory  of  their  days  of 


THE    BURGOMASTER'S   WIFE.  241 

suffering  and  of  the  wonderful  rescue  of  the  town.  Every  one 
responded  vehemently  to  this,  and  when  their  cheers  had  died 
away,  Aquanus  said: 

"  Who  does  not  thankfully  remember  that  Sunday,  October 
the  3d!  But  when  I  look  back  on  the  misery  that  preceded  it 
my  very  heart  stands  still  to  this  day." 

Peter  took  his  wife's  hand  and  pressed  it  tenderly,  as  he  said 
to  her  in  a  low  voice: 

"  And  yet  it  was  then,  on  the  bitterest  day  of  my  life,  that 
I  found  my  dearest  blessing.  " 

"And  I  also!"  she  replied,  with  a  grateful  look  into  his 
honest  eyes. 


THE   END. 


(Soofc  JSoofce  for  %$ow  anfc  (Sirls, 

Handsomely  Bound  in  Cloth. 


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2.  Erling  the  Bold  ;  a  Tale  op  the  Norse  Sea  Kings. 

3.  The  Fire  Brigade,  or  Fighting  the  Flames. 

4.  Deep  Down  ;  a  Tale  of  the  Cornish  Mines. 

5.  Gascoyne,  the  Sandal  Wood  Trader. 

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2.  Bound  the  World. 

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D'Arcy. 

4.  Peter  the  Whaler  ;  his  Early  Life  and  Adventures. 

5.  The  Midshipman,  Marmaduke  Merry. 

6.  The  Young  Foresters,  and  Other  Tales. 

Oreenwooo's  ((Brace)  Stories.   New  edition.  The 

volumes  are  finely  printed  on  heavy  paper,  Illustrated, 
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1.  Stories  for  Home  Folks  ;  Stories  and  Sights  of  France 

and  Italy. 

2.  Stories  from  Famous  Ballads  ;  History  of  My  Pets  ; 

Becollections  of  My  Childhood. 

3.  Stories  of  Many  Lands  ;  Stories  and  Legends  of  Travel 

and  History. 

4.  Merrie  England  ;  Bonnie  Scotland. 

JOHN  W.    LOVELL  COMPANY,  NEW   YORK. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 
on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 

Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


12hn'60GE 


RSG'D  LD 


DEC  23  1959 


30Jul  63JCJ 


^<C^   ' J 


j\m:  %6 


•--■•'■• "3nZI 


Mar 


8  tea/ 


3 


! 


KECEIVLD  BY 


MAR     3  1987 


CIRCULATION  DEPT. 


LD  21A-50m-4,'59 
(A1724sl0)476B 


General  Library 

University  of  California 

Berkeley 


4583=  A 


■ 


'.> 


JOSHUA 
THE 
BURGOMASII 
WIFE 


